Resolving the predator first paradox: Arthropod predator food webs in pioneer sites of glacier forelands.

ABSTRACT: Primary succession on bare ground surrounded by intact ecosystems is, during its first stages, characterized by predator-dominated arthropod communities. However, little is known on what prey sustains these predators at the start of succession and which factors drive the structure of these food webs. As prey availability can be extremely patchy and episodic in pioneer stages, trophic networks might be highly variable. Moreover, the importance of allochthonous versus autochthonous food sources for these pioneer predators is mostly unknown. To answer these questions, the gut content of 1,832 arthropod predators, including four species of carabid beetles, two lycosid and several linyphiid spider species caught in early and late pioneer stages of three glacier forelands, was screened molecular

SUBMITTER: Sint D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6378689 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature