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Predators attract prey through ecosystem engineering in the Arctic
- Source :
- Ecosphere, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp n/a-n/a (2018)
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2018.
-
Abstract
- Predators can affect prey through mechanisms other than predation; for example, redistributing resources could modify habitats favorably for other organisms. We examined Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) den use by lemmings, their primary prey, in winter during a year of low lemming densities. We found winter nests, which are built by lemmings under snow, on 69% of fox dens, whereas no control sites had nests. In August, dens had twice the vegetation cover and 50% greater nitrogen content in grass than controls, suggesting soil enrichment by foxes increased food quantity and quality for herbivores. Snow was ~4 times thicker in April on dens than controls, and 1.4 times thicker on dens with lemming nests than dens without, suggesting lemmings choose thicker snow for thermal insulation. Snow cover thickness was positively related to vegetation cover on dens, but not on control sites. Thus, Arctic foxes not only prey on lemmings but also engineer productive habitat that attracts lemmings. During winters with low lemming densities, when foxes often leave the denning area and predation risk is lower, fox dens may provide a refuge that could buffer the effects of deteriorating snow conditions with Arctic warming. This additional mechanism of predators interacting with their prey illustrates how ecosystem engineers potentially alter food web interactions and highlights the importance of integrating these bodies of theory in attempts to understand community dynamics.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Vulpes
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
Ecosystem engineer
Predation
lcsh:QH540-549.5
biology.animal
Arctic fox
Dicrostonyx richardsoni
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
indirect interactions
food web
nonāconsumptive effects
Ecology
biology
010604 marine biology & hydrobiology
15. Life on land
biology.organism_classification
Snow
Geography
Arctic
Habitat
13. Climate action
Lagopus
lcsh:Ecology
nitrogen concentration
snow depth
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 21508925
- Volume :
- 9
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Ecosphere
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....aa5abe4f95da5a50d1ba577a5368a44c
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2077