Picky eating as a means for coexistence

Dickie, Melanie; Serrouya, Robert

doi:10.1073/pnas.2213906119

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Sympatric herbivore species share potentially limiting food resources; therefore, according to ecological theory, they must partition these resources in some way to enable their coexistence (Levine & Hart, 2020; Tilman, 1982), especially when food availability is low (Gordon & Illius, 1989). There are many different mechanisms for resource partitioning among herbivores, including spatiotemporal segregation of feeding, selective feeding according to plant traits and physiological differences between animals, for example ruminant versus non‐ruminant (Dickie & Serrouya, 2022). Some of these mechanisms concern coarse differences among species, for example the dichotomy between grazers (grass eaters) and browsers (non‐grass eaters).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource partitioning in a novel herbivore assemblage in South America

Mata,

Davison,

Frøslev

et al. 2024

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Human‐induced species declines and extinctions have led to the downsizing of large‐herbivore assemblages, with implications for many ecosystem processes. Active reintroduction of extirpated large herbivores or their functional equivalents may help to reverse this trend and restore diverse ecosystems and their processes. However, it is unclear whether resource competition between native and non‐native herbivores could threaten restoration initiatives, or to what extent (re)introduced species may influence local vegetation dynamics. To answer these questions, we investigated the diets of a novel South American herbivore assemblage that includes resident native species, reintroduced native species and introduced non‐native species. We examined plant composition, diet breadth and the overlap between species to describe the local herbivory profile and the potential for resource competition. Using DNA metabarcoding on faecal samples (n = 465), we analysed the diets of the herbivore assemblage in the Rincón del Socorro rewilding area of Iberá National Park, Argentina. We compared the species richness of faecal samples, the occurrence of plant families/growth forms and the compositional similarity of samples (inter‐ and intraspecifically). Our results indicate species‐level taxonomic partitioning of plant resources by herbivores in this system. Differences in sample richness, composition and diet breadth reflected a diverse range of herbivory strategies, from grazers (capybara) to mixed feeders/browsers (brocket deer, lowland tapir). Differences in diet compositional similarity (Jaccard) revealed strong taxonomic resource partitioning. The two herbivores with the most similar diets (Pampas deer and brocket deer) still differed by more than 80%. Furthermore, all but one species (axis deer) had more similar diet composition intraspecifically than compared to the others. Overall, we found little evidence for resource competition between herbivore species. Instead, recently reintroduced native species and historically introduced non‐natives are likely expanding the range of herbivory dynamics in the ecosystem. Further research will be needed to determine the full ecological impacts of these (re)introduced herbivores. In conclusion, we show clear differences in diet breadth and composition among native, reintroduced and non‐native herbivore species that may be key to promoting resource partitioning, species coexistence and the restoration of ecological function.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource partitioning in a novel herbivore assemblage in South America

Mata,

Davison,

Frøslev

et al. 2024

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…The coexistence of species remains an elusive problem in ecology [76]. There has been attempts to provide a satisfying answer to this problem, including mechanistic models such as the modern coexistence theory [77], where mechanisms that equalize the fitness of the competitors and mechanisms that increase negative intraspecific interactions relative to negative interspecific ones promote coexistence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus

Kalirad,

Sommer

2024

PLoS Comput Biol

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Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of a single genotype to produce distinct phenotypes under different environmental conditions, has become a leading concept in ecology and evolutionary biology, with the most extreme examples being the formation of alternative phenotypes (polyphenisms). However, several aspects associated with phenotypic plasticity remain controversial, such as the existence of associated costs. While already predicted by some of the pioneers of plasticity research, i.e. Schmalhausen and Bradshaw, experimental and theoretical approaches have provided limited support for the costs of plasticity. In experimental studies, one common restriction is the measurement of all relevant parameters over long time periods. Similarly, theoretical studies rarely use modelling approaches that incorporate specific experimentally-derived fitness parameters. Therefore, the existence of the costs of plasticity remains disputed. Here, we provide an integrative approach to understand the cost of adaptive plasticity and its ecological ramifications, by combining laboratory data from the nematode plasticity model system Pristionchus pacificus with a stage-structured population model. Taking advantage of measurements of two isogenic strains grown on two distinct diets, we illustrate how spatial and temporal heterogeneity with regard to the distribution of resources on a metapopulation can alter the outcome of the competition and alleviate the realized cost of plasticity.

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Picky eating as a means for coexistence

Cited by 2 publications

References 20 publications

Resource partitioning in a novel herbivore assemblage in South America

Resource partitioning in a novel herbivore assemblage in South America

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus

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