Birds Are Overlooked Top Predators in Aquatic Food Webs

Steinmetz, Jeff; Kohler, Steven L.; Soluk, Daniel A.

doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2003)084[1324:baotpi]2.0.co;2

Cited by 130 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…by destroying macrophytes, increasing phosphorous load, or depredating larger zooplankton that are particularly efficient at feeding on phytoplankton (Starling et al, 2002;Søndergaard et al, 2008;Weber & Brown, 2009). Waterbirds can often be effective predators on fish populations, especially in relatively shallow waterbodies (Britton & Moser, 1982;Winfield, 1990;Gawlik, 2002;Steinmetz, Kohler & Soluk, 2003). Owing to the fear of predation, the presence of fish-eating birds can also have indirect effects that can be more important than their direct effects (Fig.…”

Section: (6) Pest Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem services provided by waterbirds

2013

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Ecosystem services are ecosystem processes that directly or indirectly benefit human well-being. There has been much recent literature identifying different services and the communities and species that provide them. This is a vital first step towards management and maintenance of these services. In this review, we specifically address the waterbirds, which play key functional roles in many aquatic ecosystems, including as predators, herbivores and vectors of seeds, invertebrates and nutrients, although these roles have often been overlooked. Waterbirds can maintain the diversity of other organisms, control pests, be effective bioindicators of ecological conditions, and act as sentinels of potential disease outbreaks. They also provide important provisioning (meat, feathers, eggs, etc.) and cultural services to both indigenous and westernized societies. We identify key gaps in the understanding of ecosystem services provided by waterbirds and areas for future research required to clarify their functional role in ecosystems and the services they provide. We consider how the economic value of these services could be calculated, giving some examples. Such valuation will provide powerful arguments for waterbird conservation.

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Section: (6) Pest Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem services provided by waterbirds

2013

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“…Although many terrestrial and avian predators kill and consume aquatic prey (e.g., Dalton et al 2009), the nonconsumptive effects of these interactions remain relatively understudied, particularly for large bird predators (Fauchald and Erikstad 2002;Steinmetz et al 2003;Zydelis and Kontautas 2008; but see recent work by Hill and Heck 2015;Pepino et al 2015). Here we used a realistic model of an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus (L., 1758)), a predatory fish specialist throughout most of its range, to test the hypothesis that the presence of aerial predators can significantly alter fish parental behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian predators transmit fear along the air–water interface influencing prey and their parental care

et al. 2016

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Abstract:The nonconsumptive consequences of predators on prey behavior, survival, and demography have recently garnered significant attention by ecologists. However, the impacts of top predators on free-ranging prey are challenging to evaluate because the most common fright response for prey is to leave the area of risk. Additionally, the top-down impacts of avian predators on aquatic environments are surprisingly overlooked. Here we investigated the nonconsumptive effects of avian predators on parental care in pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus (L., 1758)) through use of a realistic model of a predatory bird, the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus (L., 1758)). Our predator model exacted dramatic metabolic fright responses and inducible defenses in experimental fish resulting in significant behavioral changes with respect to their parental care. Key parental behaviors including in-nest rotations and egg and nest maintenance were noticeably altered by predator treatments demonstrating as much as an order of magnitude difference in parental performance, suggesting that even transient predation risk might decrease reproductive fitness. Our data provide important new insights on how the landscape of fear operates along the air-water interface and suggests that avian predators may have greater controlling effects on fish populations than previously thought.Key words: landscape of fear, Lepomis gibbosus, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, parental care, predator, predation risk, pumpkinseed.Résumé : Les conséquences autres que la consommation des prédateurs sur le comportement, la survie et la démographie des proies ont récemment fait l'objet de beaucoup d'attention de la part d'écologistes. Les impacts des prédateurs de niveau trophique supérieur sur les proies en liberté sont toutefois difficiles à évaluer puisque la réaction de peur la plus répandue des proies consiste à quitter la zone du risque. En outre, il est surprenant de constater le peu de cas fait des impacts descendants des prédateurs aviaires sur les milieux aquatiques. Nous avons étudié les effets autres que la consommation de prédateurs aviaires sur le soin des alevins par les crapets-soleil (Lepomis gibbosus (L., 1758)) en utilisant un modèle réaliste d'oiseau prédateur, le balbuzard pêcheur (Pandion haliaetus (L., 1758)). Notre prédateur modèle a produit d'importantes réactions métaboliques de peur et des mécanismes de défense inductibles chez les poissons expérimentaux, qui se traduisaient par des changements significatifs dans les comportements de soin des alevins. Les principaux comportements parentaux, dont les rotations au nid et l'entretien des oeufs et du nid, étaient clairement modifiés par l'exposition au prédateur, ces variations de la performance parentale pouvant atteindre plus d'un ordre de grandeur, ce qui donne à penser que même un risque de prédation passager peut réduire l'aptitude de reproduction. Nos données fournissent d'importants nouveaux renseignements sur le fonctionnement du paysage de la peur le long de l'interface air-eau et donnent à penser que...

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“…And in both marine systems (Daskalov et al 2007, Casini et al 2009) and freshwater systems (Persson et al 2007, Carpenter et al 2011, Ellis et al 2011, trophic cascades have resulted from fisheries overharvest and the introduction of piscivorous predators. Recently, attention Ecology and Society 20(2): 29 http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol20/iss2/art29/ has turned to the role of piscivorous birds as top predators in aquatic ecosystems (Steinmetz et al 2003), most notably cormorants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fisheries restoration potential for a large lake ecosystem: using ecosystem models to examine dynamic relationships between walleye, cormorant, and perch

McGregor¹,

Walters²,

Foote³

2015

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Increased population sizes of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and small-bodied (<15 cm total length) yellow perch (Perca flavescens) have occurred at Lac la Biche, Alberta, Canada, since fisheries collapsed the walleye (Sander vitreus) population. A walleye restoration program was introduced in 2005, but uncertainty around the ecosystem's response to management made it difficult to evaluate program success. This study used 40 variations of Ecopath with Ecosim models representing ecosystem conditions over 200 years to test the potential for multiple attractors, i.e., possible ecosytem states, in a large lake ecosystem. Results suggest that alternate stable states, defined by walleye-dominated and cormorant-dominated equilibriums, existed in historical models (1800, 1900), whereas contemporary models (1965, 2005) had a single cormorant-dominated attractor. Alternate stable states were triggered by smaller perturbations in 1900 than in 1800, and model responses were more intense in 1900, suggesting a decline in system resilience between model periods. Total prey biomass consumed by walleye was up to four times greater than the biomass consumed by cormorants in historical models, but dropped to 10% of cormorant consumption in 2005 models. Differential size-selection pressures of cormorants and walleye on yellow perch provided strong feedback that stabilized each state. These results provide important theoretical support for alternate stable states as well as practical insights for restoration of large lake ecosystems affected by human induced overharvest of top-level fish predators.

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Birds Are Overlooked Top Predators in Aquatic Food Webs

Cited by 130 publications

References 20 publications

Ecosystem services provided by waterbirds

Ecosystem services provided by waterbirds

Avian predators transmit fear along the air–water interface influencing prey and their parental care

Fisheries restoration potential for a large lake ecosystem: using ecosystem models to examine dynamic relationships between walleye, cormorant, and perch

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