Warming magnifies predation and reduces prey coexistence in a model litter arthropod system.

ABSTRACT: 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 pr

SUBMITTER: Thakur MP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5378081 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature