Invertebrate and vertebrate predation rates in a hyperarid ecosystem following an oil spill.

ABSTRACT: Extreme temperatures and scarce precipitation in deserts have led to abiotic factors often being regarded as more important than biotic ones in shaping desert communities. The presumed low biological activity of deserts is also one reason why deserts are often overlooked by conservation programs. We provide the first quantification of predation intensity from a desert ecosystem using artificial sentinel prey emulating caterpillars, a standardized monitoring tool to quantify relative predation pressure by many invertebrate and vertebrate predators. The study was conducted in a protected natural area affected by oil spills in 1975 and 2014; hence, we assessed the potential effects of oil pollution on predation rates. We found that predation was mostly due to invertebrate rather than vertebra

SUBMITTER: Ferrante M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8427564 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature