10.5061/DRYAD.9CH60
Thakur, Madhav P.
German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research
Kunne, Tom
Leipzig University
Griffin, John N.
Swansea University
Eisenhauer, Nico
Leipzig University
Data from: Warming magnifies predation and reduces prey coexistence in a
model litter arthropod system
Dryad
dataset
2017
trait plasticity
Trophic interactions
top-down control
inter-specific competition
specie coexistence
2017-03-02T15:34:14Z
2017-03-02T15:34:14Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.2570
32822 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Climate warming can destabilize interactions between competitors as
smaller organisms gain advantages in warmer environments. Whether and how
warming-induced effects on competitive interactions are modified by
predation remains unknown. We hypothesized that predation will offset the
competitive advantage of smaller prey species in warmer environments
because of their greater vulnerability to predation. To test this, we
assembled a litter arthropod community with two Collembola species
(Folsomia candida and Proisotoma minuta) of different body sizes across a
temperature gradient (three thermal environments) and in the presence and
absence of predatory mites. Predatory mites reduced Collembola coexistence
with increasing temperatures. Contradicting our hypothesis, the larger
prey species always outperformed the smaller prey species in warmer
environments with predators. Larger prey probably benefited as they
expressed a greater trait (body length) plasticity to warming. Warming can
thus magnify predation effects and reduce the probability of prey
coexistence.
Thakur et al. - Prey and predator population dataThe data contains the
population density of two prey species and the total population of
predators in response to warming, predation and competition. Please check
meta-data to get the abbreviation of codes.Thakuretal-RawData.xlsx