Trophic downgrading decreases species asynchrony and community stability regardless of climate warming

Author(s)

Rezende, Felipe ^{[1, 2]} ; Antiqueira, Pablo A. P. ^[2] ; Petchey, Owen L. ^[3] ; Velho, Luiz Felipe M. ^[4] ; Rodrigues, Luzia C. ^[4] ; Romero, Gustavo Q. ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas UNICAMP, Inst Biol, Programa Posgrad Ecol, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas UNICAMP, Dept Biol Anim, Lab Interacoes Multitrof & Biodiversidade, Inst Biol, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Zurich, Inst Evolutionary Biol & Environm Studies, Zurich - Switzerland

^[4] Univ Estadual Maringa UEM, DBI PEA NUPELIA, Av Colombo, Maringa, PR - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ECOLOGY LETTERS; v. 24, n. 12 SEP 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Theory and some evidence suggest that biodiversity promotes stability. However, evidence of how trophic interactions and environmental changes modulate this relationship in multitrophic communities is lacking. Given the current scenario of biodiversity loss and climate changes, where top predators are disproportionately more affected, filling these knowledge gaps is crucial. We simulated climate warming and top predator loss in natural microcosms to investigate their direct and indirect effects on temporal stability of microbial communities and the role of underlying stabilising mechanisms. Community stability was insensitive to warming, but indirectly decreased due to top predator loss via increased mesopredator abundance and consequent reduction of species asynchrony and species stability. The magnitude of destabilising effects differed among trophic levels, being disproportionally higher at lower trophic levels (e.g. producers). Our study unravels major patterns and causal mechanisms by which trophic downgrading destabilises large food webs, regardless of climate warming scenarios. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/04603-4 - Global warming effects on the trophic structure and ecosystem functioning in tank-bromeliads
• Grantee: Pablo Augusto Poleto Antiqueira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 19/08474-8 - Freshwater ecosystems under climate change: impacts across multiple levels of organisation
• Grantee: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/26243-8 - Extreme rainfall events and their effects on the community structure and ecosystem functioning
• Grantee: Pablo Augusto Poleto Antiqueira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 18/12225-0 - Unifying environmental and spatial determinants of food web structure across spatial scales
• Grantee: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants