Habitat corridors alter relative trophic position of fire ants

Resasco, Julian; Levey, Douglas J.; Damschen, Ellen I.

doi:10.1890/es12-00266.1

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Resasco et al. () reported similar patterns, namely that the trophic position of omnivorous ants increased with plant richness. This implies that shifts in omnivore feeding behavior can contribute to higher predation rates with increasing plant diversity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Plant diversity increases predation by ground‐dwelling invertebrate predators

et al. 2017

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Global declines in biodiversity have raised concerns over the implications of diversity loss for the functioning of ecosystems. Plant diversity loss has impacts throughout food webs affecting both consumer communities and ecosystem functions mediated by consumers. Effects of plant diversity loss on communities of invertebrate predators have been documented, yet little is known about how these translate into variations in predation rates. We measured predation rates along two plant diversity gradients in grassland experiments manipulating species richness and functional diversity. Measurements were conducted at two different heights (ground and vegetation) and in two different seasons (spring and summer), using three different types of baits. Our results show that overall predation rates increase with plant species richness, but effects are seasonally variable and are much more pronounced on the ground than in the vegetation. Plant functional diversity did not consistently affect predation rates in our experiments. Potential mechanistic explanations for an effect of plant diversity on predation include higher complementarity between predator species or reduced intraguild predation with increasing structural complexity at higher plant diversity. These results underline the importance of high local plant diversity for natural pest control.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Plant diversity increases predation by ground‐dwelling invertebrate predators

et al. 2017

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“…Trophic position can be used as an indicator for the dependence of ants on the exudates of hemipterans, with a lower trophic position indicating a tighter relationship (Davidson et al 2003, Wilder et al 2011b. Several recent studies have found that habitat type, ecological corridor, logging, and species invasion can lead to shifts in trophic position for ants (Gibb and Cunningham 2011, Wilder et al 2011b, Resasco et al 2012, Woodcock et al 2013). However, the shifts in trophic position and corresponding ecological effects of ants along environmental gradients have not been studied previously.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mutualism with aphids affects the trophic position, abundance of ants and herbivory along an elevational gradient

Zhang

2015

Ecosphere

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Varied interspecific interactions have a tremendous impact on the population dynamics of related species. However, the context dependency of interspecific interactions and their ecological effects have not been well‐characterized. To understand the context dependency of ant‐aphid mutualism and the corresponding ecological effects, we explored the association of ant abundance, trophic position, and plant herbivory along an elevational gradient. We hypothesized that a higher abundance of ants would be associated with a lower trophic position and lower plant herbivory level along the gradient. We detected a large variation in ant abundance and herbivory along the elevational gradient. Consistent with our prediction, a higher ant abundance was associated with a lower trophic position, and herbivory decreased linearly with ant abundance. A tight positive relationship between the abundance of ants and aphids was observed. These findings suggest that the context dependency of ant‐aphid mutualism can be an important factor affecting the pattern of ant abundance and plant herbivory across the elevational gradient. This study highlights the significance of mutualistic interactions in shaping the pattern of certain key ecological processes, such as herbivory, at a relatively larger spatial scale.

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“…For example, if disturbances affect resource abundance and composition, then consumers may alter their feeding through frequency-dependent prey switching or may truncate or expand their diet breadth based on the availability of their preferred prey (Jaworski, Bompard, Genies, Amiens-Desneux, & Desneux, 2013;Murdoch, 1969;Resasco, Levey, & Damschen, 2012). For example, if disturbances affect resource abundance and composition, then consumers may alter their feeding through frequency-dependent prey switching or may truncate or expand their diet breadth based on the availability of their preferred prey (Jaworski, Bompard, Genies, Amiens-Desneux, & Desneux, 2013;Murdoch, 1969;Resasco, Levey, & Damschen, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

Grassland harvesting alters ant community trophic structure: An isotopic study in tallgrass prairies

Kim

Bartel

Gratton

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Disturbances have long been recognized as important forces for structuring natural communities but their effects on trophic structure are not well understood, particularly in terrestrial systems. This is in part because quantifying trophic linkages is a challenge, especially for small organisms with cryptic feeding behaviors such as insects, and often relies on conducting labor‐intensive feeding trials or extensive observations in the field. In this study, we used stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen to examine how disturbance (annual biomass harvesting) in tallgrass prairies affected the trophic position, trophic range, and niche space of ants, a widespread grassland consumer. We hypothesized that biomass harvest would remove important food and nesting resources of insects thus affecting ant feeding relationships and trophic structure. We found shifts in the feeding relationships inferred by isotopic signatures with harvest. In particular, these shifts suggest that ants within harvest sites utilized resources at lower trophic levels (possibly plant‐based resources or herbivores), expanded trophic breadth, and occupied different niche spaces. Shifts in resource use following harvest could be due to harvest‐mediated changes in both the plant and arthropod communities that might affect the strength of competition or alter plant nitrogen availability. Because shifts in resource use alter the flow of nutrients across the food web, disturbance effects on ants could have ecosystem‐level consequences through nutrient cycling.

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Habitat corridors alter relative trophic position of fire ants

Cited by 13 publications

References 53 publications

Plant diversity increases predation by ground‐dwelling invertebrate predators

Plant diversity increases predation by ground‐dwelling invertebrate predators

Mutualism with aphids affects the trophic position, abundance of ants and herbivory along an elevational gradient

Grassland harvesting alters ant community trophic structure: An isotopic study in tallgrass prairies

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