Predator size-structure and species identity determine cascading effects in a coastal ecosystem.

ABSTRACT: Cascading consequences of predator extinctions are well documented, but impacts of perturbations to predator size-structure and how these vary across species remain unclear. Body size is hypothesized to be a key trait governing individual predators' impact on ecosystems. Therefore, shifts in predator size-structure should trigger ecosystem ramifications which are consistent across functionally similar species. Using a US salt marsh as a model system, we tested this hypothesis by manipulating size class (small, medium, and large) and size diversity (combination of all three size classes) within two closely related and functionally similar predatory crab species over 4 months. Across treatments, predators suppressed densities of a dominant grazer and an ecosystem engineer, enhanced plant bio

SUBMITTER: Griffin JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6308854 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature