Predators attract prey through ecosystem engineering in the Arctic

Gharajehdaghipour, Tazarve; Roth, James D.

doi:10.1002/ecs2.2077

Cited by 18 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 51 publications

(111 reference statements)

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“…Carcass sites, which generally have nutrient enriched vegetation, often become foraging sites for herbivores 66 . By altering vegetation, red foxes could also provide ecosystem services to herbivores, like Arctic foxes on the tundra 67 . By denning at the transition zone between the boreal forest and tundra, red foxes may influence resources used by both boreal forest and tundra organisms.…”

Section: Plant Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foxes fertilize the subarctic forest and modify vegetation through denning

Lang

Roth

Markham

2021

Sci Rep

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Ecosystem engineers modify habitats through processes other than trophic interactions, such as by regulating soil nutrients, and can influence resource availability and quality for other organisms. Predator-mediated elemental cycling may be especially important in determining plant diversity and growth in ecosystems where soil fertility and primary productivity are low. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes L.), top predators in the Subarctic, could engineer local ecosystems through denning, which could create biogeochemical hotspots of nutrients due to continual input of feces, urine and prey remains. We examined soil and vegetation characteristics on red fox dens and paired control sites in woodland habitats near the Arctic treeline in Manitoba, Canada. The organic soil layer on den sites had 81% more inorganic nitrogen and 250% more extractable phosphorus than in control areas. Denning also increased soil respiration and pH in the organic layer, suggesting improved soil quality and nutrient availability for plants. By enriching nutrients and disturbing soils through digging, den sites had a higher plant species ß-diversity and a greater cover of erect woody shrubs (Salix spp.), grasses (Leymus mollis (Trinius) Pilger) and weedy ephemerals compared to control sites, resulting in a regional increase in plant species richness. Our research highlights the importance of considering impacts of predators other than through their consumption of prey, and provides insight into the role of red foxes in modifying plant diversity and productivity in the Subarctic.

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Section: Plant Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foxes fertilize the subarctic forest and modify vegetation through denning

Lang

Roth

Markham

2021

Sci Rep

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“…We 86 expected predators would be attracted to prey remains around dens actively occupied by foxes, 87 while herbivores would be attracted to the lush vegetation on dens regardless of fox activity. Fox 88 dens in this area were presumably first created and occupied only by Arctic foxes, and the 89 ecosystem engineering influence on dens here have been previously attributed to Arctic foxes 90 (Gharajehdaghipour et al 2016, Gharajehdaghipour and Roth 2018, Fafard et al 2020.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…While both Arctic and red foxes have occupied tundra dens in recent years (including in this study), during the mid-1990s none of these dens were occupied by red foxes (Roth 2003). Due to the longevity of fox dens here (11/12 dens from this study were present in the 1990s), we attribute most of the enhanced vegetation at den sites to Arctic fox ecosystem engineering (Gharajehdaghipour et al 2016, Gharajehdaghipour and Roth 2018, Fafard et al 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We considered 200 m a sufficient distance such that control cameras would not capture animals on their way to dens. Similar paired study designs were used in the previous studies of these fox dens that evaluated the ecological impacts of Arctic fox ecosystem engineering (Gharajehdaghipour et al 2016, Gharajehdaghipour and Roth 2018, Fafard et al 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Foxes engineer hotspots of wildlife activity on the nutrient-limited Arctic tundra

Zhao

2021

Preprint

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Top predators largely affect ecosystems through trophic interactions, but they also can have indirect effects by altering nutrient dynamics and acting as ecosystem engineers. Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) are ecosystem engineers that concentrate nutrients around their dens, creating biogeochemical hotspots with lush vegetation on the nutrient-limited tundra. Red foxes (V. vulpes) similarly engineer subarctic environments through their denning behavior, and have recently expanded onto the tundra where they now often occupy historically Arctic fox dens. We evaluated the impact of Arctic and red fox denning behavior on other tundra wildlife by comparing predator and herbivore visits to dens and adjacent control areas using camera traps in northeastern Manitoba, where both fox species are sympatric. Both the capture rates and species richness of wildlife were significantly greater at fox dens relative to control sites. Predators were detected almost exclusively on dens occupied by foxes, suggesting carcass or fox presence attracts predators to den sites. This is supported by observations of predators investigating and scavenging prey remains (carrion, feathers) from the dens. Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) visited dens more often than control areas, and we hypothesize they are attracted to the enhanced vegetation typically found on dens. Our results suggest Arctic fox ecosystem engineering has a prolonged, indirect effect on caribou by enriching vegetation at dens, whereas both Arctic and red foxes directly facilitate predators by provisioning resources. Understanding how predators affect other organisms via non-trophic interactions provides an enriched view of their functional roles within ecosystems.

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“…As a result, prey in great need of nutritious, abundant forage may be further drawn to these habitats despite high predation risk (Abrams 1992, Sih 2005, Gharajehdaghipour and Roth 2018. Meanwhile, healthy prey may avoid such sites, allowing plant biomass to accumulate despite its high palatability.…”

Section: Risk-resource Feedback Loopsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscapes shaped from the top down: predicting cascading predator effects on spatial biogeochemistry

Monk¹,

Schmitz²

2020

Preprint

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Spatial heterogeneity in ecological systems can result from top-down processes, but despite some theoretical attention, the emergence of spatial heterogeneity from feedbacks with consumers is not well understood empirically. Interactions between predators and prey influence animal movement and associated nutrient transport and release, generating spatial heterogeneity that cascades throughout ecological systems. In this review, we synthesize the existing literature to evaluate the mechanisms by which terrestrial predators can generate spatial heterogeneity in biogeochemical processes through consumptive and non-consumptive effects. Overall, we propose that predators increase heterogeneity in ecosystems whenever predation is intense and spatially variable, whereas predator-prey interactions homogenize ecosystems whenever predation is weak or diffuse in space. This leads to several testable hypotheses: (1) that predation and carcass deposition at high-predation risk sites stimulate positive feedbacks between predation risk and nutrient availability; (2) that prey generate nutrient hotspots when they concentrate activity in safe habitats, but instead generate nutrient subsidies when they migrate daily between safe and risky habitats; (3) that herbivore body size mediates risk effects, such that megaherbivores are more likely to homogenize ecosystems; and 4) that predator loss in general will tend to homogenize ecosystems. Testing these hypotheses will advance our understanding of whether predators amplify landscape heterogeneity in ecological systems.

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Predators attract prey through ecosystem engineering in the Arctic

Cited by 18 publications

References 51 publications

Foxes fertilize the subarctic forest and modify vegetation through denning

Foxes fertilize the subarctic forest and modify vegetation through denning

Foxes engineer hotspots of wildlife activity on the nutrient-limited Arctic tundra

Landscapes shaped from the top down: predicting cascading predator effects on spatial biogeochemistry

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