Vertebrates, but not ants, protect rainforest from herbivorous insects across elevations 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%3A00574855" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/23:00574855 - isvavai.cz</a>
Alternative codes found
RIV/60076658:12310/23:43906664
Result on the web
<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jbi.14686" target="_blank" >https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jbi.14686</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14686" target="_blank" >10.1111/jbi.14686</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Vertebrates, but not ants, protect rainforest from herbivorous insects across elevations in Papua New Guinea
Original language description
Aim: The effects of insectivorous predators on herbivorous prey should have a cascading effect releasing herbivory pressure and favouring plant's biomass. However, it remains unclear whether different types of predators regulate herbivores to the same degree across seasons, and how their interactions affect lower trophic levels across elevations where predator communities differ significantly. Therefore, we investigated the impact of excluding flying vertebrate predators and ants (individually and in combination) on arthropods and herbivory across tropical seasons along a rainforest gradient spanning 3500 m a.s.l.nLocation: Papua New Guinea.nTaxon: Multi-taxon.nMethods: We excluded predators from 560 saplings in two 6-month-long predator exclusion experiments, controlling for seasonality. Saplings were spread across eight sites, evenly spaced at 500 m elevational increments from 200 to 3700 m a.s.l. We measured change in the abundance of arthropods and herbivory damage and analysed them by linear and generalized linear mixed models.nResults: Exclusion of flying vertebrate predators, but not ants, led to a significant increase in both arthropod density and herbivory damage. The density of arthropods increased significantly by 37% when flying vertebrates were excluded and by 33% when both flying vertebrates and ants were excluded. Both season and elevation significantly influenced this effect. Leaf damage increased significantly by 50% in exclosures of flying vertebrates alone and by 36% in combined exclosures of flying vertebrates and ants. In contrast, the exclusion of ants alone had no significant effect on arthropod density or leaf damage, which increased by 12% and 9%, respectively, although the effect decreased with increasing elevation.nMain conclusions: The overall effect of flying vertebrate predators on arthropod density and leaf damage remains consistently strong along the whole elevational gradient. In contrast, ant-driven trophic cascades were detected only in lowland. Disappearance of insectivorous flying vertebrates could lead to substantial negative consequences for plants.
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
Journal of Biogeography
ISSN
0305-0270
e-ISSN
1365-2699
Volume of the periodical
50
Issue of the periodical within the volume
10
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
14
Pages from-to
1803-1816
UT code for WoS article
001033408200001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85165558225