Altered trophic interactions in warming climates: consequences for predator diet breadth and fitness.

ABSTRACT: Species interactions are central in predicting the impairment of biodiversity with climate change. Trophic interactions may be altered through climate-dependent changes in either predator food preferences or prey communities. Yet, climate change impacts on predator diet remain surprisingly poorly understood. We experimentally studied the consequences of 2°C warmer climatic conditions on the trophic niche of a generalist lizard predator. We used a system of semi-natural mesocosms housing a variety of invertebrate species and in which climatic conditions were manipulated. Lizards in warmer climatic conditions ate at a greater predatory to phytophagous invertebrate ratio and had smaller individual dietary breadths. These shifts mainly arose from direct impacts of climate on lizard diets rathe

SUBMITTER: Bestion E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6834436 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature