AI Article Synopsis
- The study focused on the impact of a top predator, the predatory clerid beetle, on lower trophic levels in a tropical wet forest through two long-term experiments.
- The introduction of these predatory beetles resulted in a decrease in their prey, predatory ants, leading to increased herbivory and reduced leaf area on plants.
- The findings indicated that the effects of top predators extend beyond their immediate prey, influencing the entire ecosystem and potentially affecting local plant diversity.
Article Abstract
To test for direct and indirect effects of a top predator on three lower trophic levels, we conducted two multiyear predator addition experiments in a tropical wet forest. Periodic additions of a top predator (predatory clerid beetle) to a wet forest understory shrub caused a reduction in the predatory beetle's prey (a predatory ant), increased herbivory, and reduced leaf area of the plant. These effects occurred whether beetles were added to naturally occurring shrubs or to reproductive fragments, suggesting fitness effects of top predators through three trophic levels. A correlational study showed that trophic effects of top predators also cascaded to nearby conspecifics in the forest understory. We use trends from understory plant surveys to suggest mechanisms by which these cascades could ultimately affect species diversity in the local plant community.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC21818 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.96.9.5072 | DOI Listing |
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