1. Latitude, temperature, and habitat complexity predict predation pressure in eelgrass beds across the Northern Hemisphere
- Author
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Matthew A. Whalen, Johan S. Eklöf, Mikhail Ivanov, J. Emmett Duffy, Kevin A. Hovel, Clara M. Hereu, Jennifer L. Ruesink, John J. Stachowicz, John N. Griffin, Jonas Thormar, Britas Klemens Eriksson, Pamela L. Reynolds, Christoffer Boström, Richard K. F. Unsworth, F. Joel Fodrie, Francesca Rossi, Aschwin H. Engelen, Nessa E. O'Connor, Erik E. Sotka, Claudia Kruschel, Mathieu Cusson, Karen J. McGlathery, Friederike G. Engel, Masahiro Nakaoka, Masakazu Hori, Kun-Seop Lee, Fiona Tomas, Pablo Jorgensen, Katharyn E. Boyer, Per-Olav Moksnes, Mary I. O'Connor, Torrance C. Hanley, Robert J. Orth, Åbo Akademi University [Turku], Dipartimento di Biologia, University of Pisa - Università di Pisa, School of biological and environmental science, University College Dublin [Dublin] (UCD), University of Algarve [Portugal], Marine Biological Association, Akkeshi Marine Station - Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University [Sapporo, Japan], Biology Dept, University of Washington [Seattle], College of Charleston, and Eriksson group
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Range (biology) ,seagrass ,Biodiversity ,DIVERSITY ,PREY ,Seagrasses ,01 natural sciences ,Predation ,ECOSYSTEMS ,TOP-DOWN CONTROL ,Patterns ,Diversity ,species interactions ,biology ,Ecology ,WATER TEMPERATURE ,Zosteraceae ,Prey ,Temperature ,latitude ,Eutrophication ,Habitat ,EUTROPHICATION ,Water temperature ,Zostera marina ,predation ,mesograzer ,Zostera ,Biogeography ,[SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes ,010603 evolutionary biology ,Ecosystems ,Latitude ,[SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment/Ecosystems ,SEAGRASSES ,biogeography ,temperature ,Journal Article ,Animals ,14. Life underwater ,Top-down control ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Ecosystem ,Evolutionary Biology ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Communities ,biology.organism_classification ,Enrichment ,Ecological Applications ,Predatory Behavior ,PATTERNS ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,ENRICHMENT ,COMMUNITIES - Abstract
Latitudinal gradients in species interactions are widely cited as potential causes or consequences of global patterns of biodiversity. However, mechanistic studies documenting changes in interactions across broad geographic ranges are limited. We surveyed predation intensity on common prey (live amphipods and gastropods) in communities of eelgrass (Zostera marina) at 48 sites across its Northern Hemisphere range, encompassing over 37 degrees of latitude and four continental coastlines. Predation on amphipods declined with latitude on all coasts but declined more strongly along western ocean margins where temperature gradients are steeper. Whereas insitu water temperature at the time of the experiments was uncorrelated with predation, mean annual temperature strongly positively predicted predation, suggesting a more complex mechanism than simply increased metabolic activity at the time of predation. This large-scale biogeographic pattern was modified by local habitat characteristics; predation declined with higher shoot density both among and within sites. Predation rates on gastropods, by contrast, were uniformly low and varied little among sites. The high replication and geographic extent of our study not only provides additional evidence to support biogeographic variation in predation intensity, but also insight into the mechanisms that relate temperature and biogeographic gradients in species interactions. NSF BIO-OCE [1336206, 1336741, 1336905] info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
- Published
- 2017
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