Insectivorous birds and bats outperform ants in the top-down regulation of arthropods across strata of a Japanese temperate forest

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F24%3A00588192" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/24:00588192 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60076658:12310/24:43908471

Result on the web

<a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1365-2656.14146" target="_blank" >https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1365-2656.14146</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14146" target="_blank" >10.1111/1365-2656.14146</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Insectivorous birds and bats outperform ants in the top-down regulation of arthropods across strata of a Japanese temperate forest

Original language description

Birds, bats and ants are recognised as significant arthropod predators. However, empirical studies reveal inconsistent trends in their relative roles in top-down control across strata. Here, we describe the differences between forest strata in the separate effects of birds, bats and ants on arthropod densities and their cascading effects on plant damage. We implemented a factorial design to exclude vertebrates and ants in both the canopy and understorey. Additionally, we separately excluded birds and bats from the understorey using diurnal and nocturnal exclosures. At the end of the experiments, we collected all arthropods and assessed herbivory damage. Arthropods responded similarly to predator exclusion across forest strata, with a density increase of 81% on trees without vertebrates and 53% without both vertebrates and ants. Additionally, bird exclusion alone led to an 89% increase in arthropod density, while bat exclusion resulted in a 63% increase. Herbivory increased by 42% when vertebrates were excluded and by 35% when both vertebrates and ants were excluded. Bird exclusion alone increased herbivory damage by 28%, while the exclusion of bats showed a detectable but non-significant increase (by 22%). In contrast, ant exclusion had no significant effect on arthropod density or herbivory damage across strata. Our results reveal that the effects of birds and bats on arthropod density and herbivory damage are similar between the forest canopy and understorey in this temperate forest. In addition, ants were not found to be significant predators in our system. Furthermore, birds, bats and ants appeared to exhibit antagonistic relationships in influencing arthropod density. These findings highlight, unprecedentedly, the equal importance of birds and bats in maintaining ecological balance across different strata of a temperate forest.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Journal of Animal Ecology

ISSN

0021-8790

e-ISSN

1365-2656

Volume of the periodical

93

Issue of the periodical within the volume

11

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

17

Pages from-to

1622-1638

UT code for WoS article

001274919000001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85199363929