Exceptional body sizes but typical trophic structure in a Pleistocene food web.

ABSTRACT: In this study, we focused on the exceptionally large mammals inhabiting the Americas during the Quaternary period and the paramount role of body size in species ecology. We evaluated two main features of Pleistocene food webs: the relationship between body size and (i) trophic position and (ii) vulnerability to predation. Despite the large range of species sizes, we found a hump-shaped relationship between trophic position and body size. We also found a negative trend in species vulnerability similar to that observed in modern faunas. The largest species lived near the boundary of energetic constraints, such that any shift in resource availability could drive these species to extinction. Our results reinforce several features of megafauna ecology: (i) the negative relationship between trop

SUBMITTER: Segura AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4892250 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature