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Dimensionality of consumer search space drives trophic interaction strengths

Author

Listed:
  • Samraat Pawar

    (David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California)

  • Anthony I. Dell

    (David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California
    School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia)

  • Van M. Savage

    (David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California
    University of California
    Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road)

Abstract

Trophic interactions govern biomass fluxes in ecosystems, and stability in food webs. Knowledge of how trophic interaction strengths are affected by differences among habitats is crucial for understanding variation in ecological systems. Here we show how substantial variation in consumption-rate data, and hence trophic interaction strengths, arises because consumers tend to encounter resources more frequently in three dimensions (3D) (for example, arboreal and pelagic zones) than two dimensions (2D) (for example, terrestrial and benthic zones). By combining new theory with extensive data (376 species, with body masses ranging from 5.24 × 10−14 kg to 800 kg), we find that consumption rates scale sublinearly with consumer body mass (exponent of approximately 0.85) for 2D interactions, but superlinearly (exponent of approximately 1.06) for 3D interactions. These results contradict the currently widespread assumption of a single exponent (of approximately 0.75) in consumer–resource and food-web research. Further analysis of 2,929 consumer–resource interactions shows that dimensionality of consumer search space is probably a major driver of species coexistence, and the stability and abundance of populations.

Suggested Citation

  • Samraat Pawar & Anthony I. Dell & Van M. Savage, 2012. "Dimensionality of consumer search space drives trophic interaction strengths," Nature, Nature, vol. 486(7404), pages 485-489, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:486:y:2012:i:7404:d:10.1038_nature11131
    DOI: 10.1038/nature11131
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    Cited by:

    1. Lorea Flores & R A Bailey & Arturo Elosegi & Aitor Larrañaga & Julia Reiss, 2016. "Habitat Complexity in Aquatic Microcosms Affects Processes Driven by Detritivores," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(11), pages 1-15, November.
    2. Ranjan, Ravi & Bagchi, Sumanta, 2016. "Functional response and body size in consumer–resource interactions: Unimodality favors facilitation," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 25-35.
    3. Matthieu Barbier & James R Watson, 2016. "The Spatial Dynamics of Predators and the Benefits and Costs of Sharing Information," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-22, October.
    4. Witting, Lars, 2017. "The natural selection of metabolism and mass selects allometric transitions from prokaryotes to mammals," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 23-42.
    5. Da-Yeong Lee & Dae-Seong Lee & Young-Seuk Park, 2022. "Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in Reservoirs of South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-17, December.

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