Fluctuations in density of an outbreak species drive diversity cascades in food webs Export

@article{citeulike:1846134, abstract = {Patterns in food-web structure have frequently been examined in static food webs, but few studies have attempted to delineate patterns that materialize in food webs under nonequilibrium conditions. Here, using one of nature's classical nonequilibrium systems as the food-web database, we test the major assumptions of recent advances in food-web theory. We show that a complex web of interactions between insect herbivores and their natural enemies displays significant architectural flexibility over a large fluctuation in the natural abundance of the major herbivore, the spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana). Importantly, this flexibility operates precisely in the manner predicted by recent foraging-based food-web theories: higher-order mobile generalists respond rapidly in time and space by converging on areas of increasing prey abundance. This "birdfeeder effect" operates such that increasing budworm densities correspond to a cascade of increasing diversity and food-web complexity. Thus, by integrating foraging theory with food-web ecology and analyzing a long-term, natural data set coupled with manipulative field experiments, we are able to show that food-web structure varies in a predictable manner. Furthermore, both recent food-web theory and longstanding foraging theory suggest that this very same food-web flexibility ought to be a potent stabilizing mechanism. Interestingly, we find that this food-web flexibility tends to be greater in heterogeneous than in homogeneous forest plots. Because our results provide a plausible mechanism for boreal forest effects on populations of forest insect pests, they have implications for forest and pest management practices. 10.1073/pnas.0704301104}, author = {Eveleigh, Eldon S. and Mccann, Kevin S. and Mccarthy, Peter C. and Pollock, Steven J. and Lucarotti, Christopher J. and Morin, Benoit and Mcdougall, George A. and Strongman, Douglas B. and Huber, John T. and Umbanhowar, James and Faria, Lucas D.}, citeulike-article-id = {1846134}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0704301104}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/104/43/16976}, citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17940003}, citeulike-linkout-3 = {http://www.hubmed.org/display.cgi?uids=17940003}, day = {23}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.0704301104}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, keywords = {biodiversity, evolution, food-web}, month = {October}, number = {43}, pages = {16976--16981}, posted-at = {2007-10-31 09:28:22}, priority = {2}, title = {Fluctuations in density of an outbreak species drive diversity cascades in food webs}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0704301104}, volume = {104}, year = {2007} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:1846134 L3 - citeulike-article-id:1846134 N2 - Patterns in food-web structure have frequently been examined in static food webs, but few studies have attempted to delineate patterns that materialize in food webs under nonequilibrium conditions. Here, using one of nature's classical nonequilibrium systems as the food-web database, we test the major assumptions of recent advances in food-web theory. We show that a complex web of interactions between insect herbivores and their natural enemies displays significant architectural flexibility over a large fluctuation in the natural abundance of the major herbivore, the spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana). Importantly, this flexibility operates precisely in the manner predicted by recent foraging-based food-web theories: higher-order mobile generalists respond rapidly in time and space by converging on areas of increasing prey abundance. This "birdfeeder effect" operates such that increasing budworm densities correspond to a cascade of increasing diversity and food-web complexity. Thus, by integrating foraging theory with food-web ecology and analyzing a long-term, natural data set coupled with manipulative field experiments, we are able to show that food-web structure varies in a predictable manner. Furthermore, both recent food-web theory and longstanding foraging theory suggest that this very same food-web flexibility ought to be a potent stabilizing mechanism. Interestingly, we find that this food-web flexibility tends to be greater in heterogeneous than in homogeneous forest plots. Because our results provide a plausible mechanism for boreal forest effects on populations of forest insect pests, they have implications for forest and pest management practices. 10.1073/pnas.0704301104 IS - 43 JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences EP - 16981 TI - Fluctuations in density of an outbreak species drive diversity cascades in food webs VL - 104 SP - 16976 KW - biodiversity KW - evolution KW - food-web AU - Eveleigh, Eldon AU - Mccann, Kevin AU - Mccarthy, Peter AU - Pollock, Steven AU - Lucarotti, Christopher AU - Morin, Benoit AU - Mcdougall, George AU - Strongman, Douglas AU - Huber, John AU - Umbanhowar, James AU - Faria, Lucas PY - 2007/10/23/ UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0704301104 ER -