Trophic cascades in tropical rainforests: Effects of vertebrate predator exclusion on arthropods and plants in Papua New Guinea
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F23%3A00561912" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/23:00561912 - isvavai.cz</a>
Alternative codes found
RIV/60076658:12310/23:43906392
Result on the web
<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/btp.13160" target="_blank" >https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/btp.13160</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/btp.13160" target="_blank" >10.1111/btp.13160</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Trophic cascades in tropical rainforests: Effects of vertebrate predator exclusion on arthropods and plants in Papua New Guinea
Original language description
Insect herbivores have the potential to consume large amounts of plant tissue in tropical forests, but insectivorous vertebrates effectively control their abundances, indirectly increasing plant fitness accordingly. Despite several studies already sought understanding of the top-down effects on arthropod community structure and herbivory, such studies of trophic cascades in old tropics are underrepresented, and little attention was paid to top-down forces in various habitats. Therefore, we examine how flying insectivorous vertebrates (birds and bats) impact arthropods and, consequently, affect herbivore damage of leaves in forest habitats in Papua New Guinea. In a 3-month long predator exclosure experiment conducted at four study sites across varying elevation and successional stage, we found that vertebrate predators reduced arthropod density by ∼52%. In addition, vertebrate predators decreased the mean body size of arthropods by 26% in leaf chewers and 47% in non-herbivorous arthropods but had only a small effect on mesopredators and sap suckers. Overall, the exclusion of vertebrate predators resulted in a ~ 41% increase in leaf damage. Our results, across different types of tropical forests in Papua New Guinea, demonstrate that flying vertebrate insectivores have a crucial impact on plant biomass, create a selective pressure on larger and non-predatory prey individuals and they prey partition with mesopredators.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10618 - Ecology
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/GJ18-23794Y" target="_blank" >GJ18-23794Y: Latitudinal trends in herbivore performance and herbivore damage in hostile and enemy free space</a><br>
Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2023
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Biotropica
ISSN
0006-3606
e-ISSN
1744-7429
Volume of the periodical
55
Issue of the periodical within the volume
1
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
11
Pages from-to
70-80
UT code for WoS article
000861800700001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85138974608