Negative effects of vertebrate herbivores on invertebrates in a coastal dune community

Ecology
Mikaela HuntzingerJ Hall Cushman

Abstract

Although competition has been a major focus in ecology for the past century, most empirical and theoretical studies in this area have emphasized interactions between closely related species. However, there is growing evidence that negative interactions among distantly related taxa also occur and may be far more important than previously thought. In this study, we took advantage of an 11-year-old replicated vertebrate-exclosure experiment in a coastal dune community in northern California, USA, to examine the effects of the two most common vertebrate herbivores (jackrabbits and black-tailed deer) on the abundance of the three most visible invertebrate herbivores (two snail, a moth, and a grasshopper species). Our results indicate that four of the six possible pairwise interactions were significantly negative for the invertebrates. Jackrabbits reduced the abundances of snails by 44-75%, tiger moth caterpillars by 36%, and grasshoppers by 62%. Deer reduced the abundances of snails by 32%, increased the abundances of caterpillars by 31%, and had no measurable effect on grasshopper abundance. Our data also revealed that jackrabbits significantly decreased the volume of forbs and common shrubs and the flowering by grasses in our stud...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 26, 2013·Biology Letters·Isabel C BarrioC Guillermo Bueno
Feb 13, 2010·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Richard Karban, Perry de Valpine
Apr 23, 2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Judith X Becerra
Mar 24, 2016·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Joshua H Daskin, Robert M Pringle
Aug 2, 2016·PeerJ·Valentina CussedduMark Bertness
Aug 18, 2017·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Martijn L VandegehuchteAnita C Risch
Oct 12, 2018·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Xiaofei LiNazim Hassan
Dec 28, 2016·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Adam J Munn, Marguerite Treloar
Mar 3, 2018·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Taylor M WilcoxWinsor H Lowe
Jun 27, 2021·Ecology Letters·Joshua S LynnJennifer A Rudgers

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