Predator population size structure alters consumption of prey from epigeic and grazing food webs

Murphy, John M.; Lewis, Danny; Wimp, Gina M.

doi:10.1007/s00442-020-04619-7

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Analyses of naturally occurring C and N stable isotopes in spiders and potential prey emphasise the role of large spider species as top predators in terrestrial food webs (Ponsard & Arditi, 2000) and the importance of detrital subsidy, presumably via Collembola prey, for spiders in agroecosystems (McNabb et al ., 2001; Wise, Moldenhauer & Halaj, 2006). Recent stable isotope studies further suggested that smaller spider individuals had stronger trophic links to soil‐dwelling prey compared to larger individuals of the same species (Macé et al ., 2019; Murphy, Lewis & Wimp, 2020), and that the trophic position and diet composition of spider species varies across seasons (Radermacher et al ., 2020) and among farming systems (Birkhofer et al ., 2011a).…”

Section: Synopsis Of Feeding Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding habits and multifunctional classification of soil‐associated consumers from protists to vertebrates

et al. 2022

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Soil organisms drive major ecosystem functions by mineralising carbon and releasing nutrients during decomposition processes, which supports plant growth, aboveground biodiversity and, ultimately, human nutrition. Soil ecologists often operate with functional groups to infer the effects of individual taxa on ecosystem functions and services. Simultaneous assessment of the functional roles of multiple taxa is possible using food‐web reconstructions, but our knowledge of the feeding habits of many taxa is insufficient and often based on limited evidence. Over the last two decades, molecular, biochemical and isotopic tools have improved our understanding of the feeding habits of various soil organisms, yet this knowledge is still to be synthesised into a common functional framework. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the feeding habits of consumers in soil, including protists, micro‐, meso‐ and macrofauna (invertebrates), and soil‐associated vertebrates. We have integrated existing functional group classifications with findings gained with novel methods and compiled an overarching classification across taxa focusing on key universal traits such as food resource preferences, body masses, microhabitat specialisation, protection and hunting mechanisms. Our summary highlights various strands of evidence that many functional groups commonly used in soil ecology and food‐web models are feeding on multiple types of food resources. In many cases, omnivory is observed down to the species level of taxonomic resolution, challenging realism of traditional soil food‐web models based on distinct resource‐based energy channels. Novel methods, such as stable isotope, fatty acid and DNA gut content analyses, have revealed previously hidden facets of trophic relationships of soil consumers, such as food assimilation, multichannel feeding across trophic levels, hidden trophic niche differentiation and the importance of alternative food/prey, as well as energy transfers across ecosystem compartments. Wider adoption of such tools and the development of open interoperable platforms that assemble morphological, ecological and trophic data as traits of soil taxa will enable the refinement and expansion of the multifunctional classification of consumers in soil. The compiled multifunctional classification of soil‐associated consumers will serve as a reference for ecologists working with biodiversity changes and biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships, making soil food‐web research more accessible and reproducible.

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Section: Synopsis Of Feeding Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding habits and multifunctional classification of soil‐associated consumers from protists to vertebrates

et al. 2022

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“…The specific prey that leveraged these time‐dependent relationships were not the prey principally associated with the other variables (i.e., significant interactions between Julian day and other variables for specific prey species did not occur alongside significant univariate relationships for the variable interacting with Julian day) except in the case of Sminthurus viridis , for which the association with different genera changed over time. The diet of juveniles tended to include smaller and less mobile prey, with adults targeting typically larger but ‘riskier’ intraguild prey (Mezőfi et al, 2020; Murphy et al, 2020; Sanders et al, 2015). Adults appeared to predate more Trombidiidae; however, this could be the detection of ectoparasitism by these mites of recent prey or the spider itself, the latter being more likely for adult spiders given their larger body surface and a greater time in situ (Tomić et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As spiders develop, their trophic niche expands, resulting in differences between adult and juvenile diets with respect to taxonomic composition, diversity, and prey size (Bartos, 2011; Mezőfi et al, 2020). This ontogenetic determination of diet is thought to be driven by spiders' need for a relatively consistent size ratio of predator and prey, and may be more important than prey density in determining trophic interactions (Murphy et al, 2020). Pest predation by spiders is thought to vary greatly between sexes, with female spiders tending to eat more aphids than males (Harwood et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density‐independent prey choice, taxonomy, life history, and web characteristics determine the diet and biocontrol potential of spiders (Linyphiidae and Lycosidae) in cereal crops

et al. 2021

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“…Top-down control by soil-borne predators can provide insurance against biodiversity loss and other global change disruptions 24 – 26 . High-order consumers such as generalist predators further link food webs over space and time, coupling habitats and energy channels, and thereby shape population dynamics of resource species (e.g., herbivorous prey) 27 , 28 . Generalist predators equally connect belowground (BG) food webs with aboveground (AG) habitats, assuming a bridging role between both sub-systems similar to that of plants 29 , 30 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artefactual depiction of predator–prey trophic linkages in global soils

Wyckhuys

Nguyen

Fonte

2021

Sci Rep

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Soil invertebrates contribute to multiple ecosystem services, including pest control, nutrient cycling, and soil structural regulation, yet trophic interactions that determine their diversity and activity in soils remain critically understudied. Here, we systematically review literature (1966–2020) on feeding habits of soil arthropods and macrofauna and summarize empirically studied predator–prey linkages across ecosystem types, geographies and taxa. Out of 522 unique predators and 372 prey organisms (constituting 1947 predator–prey linkages), the vast majority (> 75%) are only covered in a single study. We report a mean of just 3.0 ± 4.7 documented linkages per organism, with pronounced taxonomic biases. In general, model organisms and crop pests (generally Insecta) are well-studied, while important soil-dwelling predators, fungivores and detritivores (e.g., Collembola, Chilopoda and Malacostraca) remain largely ignored. We argue that broader food-web based research approaches, considering multiple linkages per organism and targeting neglected taxa, are needed to inform science-driven management of soil communities and associated ecosystem services.

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Predator population size structure alters consumption of prey from epigeic and grazing food webs

Cited by 7 publications

References 65 publications

Feeding habits and multifunctional classification of soil‐associated consumers from protists to vertebrates

Feeding habits and multifunctional classification of soil‐associated consumers from protists to vertebrates

Density‐independent prey choice, taxonomy, life history, and web characteristics determine the diet and biocontrol potential of spiders (Linyphiidae and Lycosidae) in cereal crops

Artefactual depiction of predator–prey trophic linkages in global soils

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