顶级捕食者制约着中型捕食者的分布。
Top predators constrain mesopredator distributions.
机构信息
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3125, Australia.
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
出版信息
Nat Commun. 2017 May 23;8:15469. doi: 10.1038/ncomms15469.
Top predators can suppress mesopredators by killing them, competing for resources and instilling fear, but it is unclear how suppression of mesopredators varies with the distribution and abundance of top predators at large spatial scales and among different ecological contexts. We suggest that suppression of mesopredators will be strongest where top predators occur at high densities over large areas. These conditions are more likely to occur in the core than on the margins of top predator ranges. We propose the Enemy Constraint Hypothesis, which predicts weakened top-down effects on mesopredators towards the edge of top predators' ranges. Using bounty data from North America, Europe and Australia we show that the effects of top predators on mesopredators increase from the margin towards the core of their ranges, as predicted. Continuing global contraction of top predator ranges could promote further release of mesopredator populations, altering ecosystem structure and contributing to biodiversity loss.
顶级捕食者可以通过杀死、竞争资源和灌输恐惧来抑制中间捕食者，但目前尚不清楚在大空间尺度和不同生态背景下，顶级捕食者的分布和丰度如何影响对中间捕食者的抑制作用。我们认为，当顶级捕食者在大面积区域高密度出现时，对中间捕食者的抑制作用将最强。这种情况更有可能发生在顶级捕食者范围的核心区域，而不是边缘区域。我们提出了天敌约束假说，该假说预测在顶级捕食者范围的边缘，对中间捕食者的自上而下的影响会减弱。利用来自北美、欧洲和澳大利亚的赏金数据，我们表明，正如预测的那样，顶级捕食者对中间捕食者的影响从范围的边缘向核心区域增加。随着全球顶级捕食者范围的持续收缩，中间捕食者种群可能会进一步释放，从而改变生态系统结构，并导致生物多样性丧失。
Zotero 插件