Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC (CCNH/UFABC), Rua Santa Adélia, 166, Santo André, SP 09210-170, Brazil; Institute of Marine Science, Federal University of São Paulo (IMar/UNIFESP), Rua Dr Carvalho de Mendonça 144, Santos, SP 11070-100, Brazil; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, United Kingdom.
Institute of Marine Science, Federal University of São Paulo (IMar/UNIFESP), Rua Dr Carvalho de Mendonça 144, Santos, SP 11070-100, Brazil.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Jan;162:111902. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111902. Epub 2020 Dec 16.
Metal contamination can change ecological interactions with potential effects on community dynamics. However, understanding real effects of metals on biota relies on studies undertaken in natural conditions. Through a field experiment, we investigated the effects of copper contamination on the responses of a barnacle prey and its predator, the dogwhelk, and explicitly their interaction. Contamination increased barnacle mortality and reduced predation with no effects on interaction strength. This was because the higher mortality of the prey compensated for the lower consumption of the predator. Despite not affecting the interaction strength, these results suggest a decrease in energy flow in the trophic chain that may lead to important changes in community structure and ecosystem functioning. This study shows the importance of manipulative experiments designed to provide mechanistic insights into ecological interactions to better clarify the effect of stressors on the structure and dynamic of communities.
金属污染会改变生态相互作用，对群落动态产生潜在影响。然而，要了解金属对生物群的实际影响，需要在自然条件下进行研究。通过野外实验，我们调查了铜污染对藤壶猎物及其捕食者——狗蛤的反应及其相互作用的影响。污染增加了藤壶的死亡率，减少了捕食，对相互作用强度没有影响。这是因为猎物更高的死亡率弥补了捕食者更低的消耗。尽管没有影响相互作用强度，但这些结果表明，食物链中的能量流动减少，可能导致群落结构和生态系统功能发生重要变化。本研究表明，操纵实验对于提供生态相互作用的机制性见解非常重要，以便更好地阐明胁迫对群落结构和动态的影响。
