Higher predation risk for insect prey at low latitudes and elevations

Author(s):Show less -

Roslin, Tomas ; Hardwick, Bess ; Novotny, Vojtech ; Petry, William K. ; Andrew, Nigel R. ; Asmus, Ashley ; Barrio, Isabel C. ; Basset, Yves ; Boesing, Andrea Larissa ; Bonebrake, Timothy C. ; Cameron, Erin K. ; Dattilo, Wesley ; Donoso, David A. ; Drozd, Pavel ; Gray, Claudia L. ; Hik, David S. ; Hill, Sarah J. ; Hopkins, Tapani ; Huang, Shuyin ; Koane, Bonny ; Laird-Hopkins, Benita ; Laukkanen, Liisa ; Lewis, Owen T. ; Milne, Sol ; Mwesige, Isaiah ; Nakamura, Akihiro ; Nell, Colleen S. ; Nichols, Elizabeth ; Prokurat, Alena ; Sam, Katerina ; Schmidt, Niels M. ; Slade, Alison ; Slade, Victor ; Suchankova, Alzbeta ; Teder, Tiit ; van Nouhuys, Saskya ; Vandvik, Vigdis ; Weissflog, Anita ; Zhukovich, Vital ; Slade, Eleanor M.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Science; v. 356, n. 6339, p. 3-pg., 2017-05-19.

Abstract

Biotic interactions underlie ecosystem structure and function, but predicting interaction outcomes is difficult. We tested the hypothesis that biotic interaction strength increases toward the equator, using a global experiment with model caterpillars to measure predation risk. Across an 11,660-kilometer latitudinal gradient spanning six continents, we found increasing predation toward the equator, with a parallel pattern of increasing predation toward lower elevations. Patterns across both latitude and elevation were driven by arthropod predators, with no systematic trend in attack rates by birds or mammals. These matching gradients at global and regional scales suggest consistent drivers of biotic interaction strength, a finding that needs to be integrated into general theories of herbivory, community organization, and life-history evolution. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/23457-6 - Interface project: relationships among landscape structure, ecological processes, biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Grantee: Jean Paul Walter Metzger
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/11676-8 - Quantifying the mechanistic basis for disease-regulation ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes
• Grantee: Elizabeth Stevens Nichols
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral