Community consequences of foraging under fear
Authored by Volker Grimm, Florian Jeltsch, Stephanie Kramer-Schadt, Lisa Teckentrup
Date Published: 2018
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.05.015
Sponsors:
German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG)
Platforms:
NetLogo
Model Documentation:
ODD
Flow charts
Model Code URLs:
Model code not found
Abstract
Non-consumptive effects of predators within ecosystems can alter the
behavior of individual prey species, and have cascading effects on other
trophic levels. In this context, an understanding of non-consumptive
predator effects on the whole prey community is crucial for predicting
community structure and composition, hence biodiversity patterns. We
used an individual-based, spatially-explicit modelling approach to
investigate the consequences of landscapes of fear on prey community
metrics. The model spans multiple hierarchical levels from individual
home range formation based on food availability and perceived predation
risk to consequences on prey community structure and composition. This
mechanistic approach allowed us to explore how important factors such as
refuge availability and foraging strategy under fear affect prey
community metrics. Fear of predators affected prey space use, such as
home range formation. These adaptations had broader consequences for the
community leading to changes in community structure and composition. The
strength of community responses to perceived predation risk was driven
by refuge availability in the landscape and the foraging strategy of
prey animals. Low refuge availability in the landscape strongly
decreased diversity and total biomass of prey communities. Additionally,
body mass distributions in prey communities facing high predation risk
were shifted towards small prey animals. With increasing refuge
availability the consequences of non-consumptive predator effects were
reduced, diversity and total biomass of the prey community increased.
Prey foraging strategies affected community composition. Under medium
refuge availability, risk-averse prey communities consisted of many
small animals while risk-taking prey communities showed a more even body
mass distribution. Our findings reveal that non-consumptive predator
effects can have important implications for prey community diversity and
should therefore be considered in the context of conservation and nature
management.
Tags
Individual-based model
behavior
Landscape
Biodiversity
Foraging
Predation risk
Bottom-up
Top-down
Trophic interactions
Habitat loss
Mediated indirect interactions
Predator-prey interactions
Home range
Ecological consequences
Habitat
use
Temporal variation
Microhabitat use
Space use
Landscape of fear