Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Despite the clear importance of water balance to the evolution of terrestrial life, much remains unknown about the effects of animal water balance on food webs. Based on recent research suggesting animal water imbalance can increase trophic interaction strengths in cages, we hypothesized that water availability could drive top-down effects in open environments, influencing the occurrence of trophic cascades. We manipulated large spider abundance and water availability in 20 × 20 m open-air plots in a streamside forest in Arizona, USA, and measured changes in cricket and small spider abundance and leaf damage. As expected, large spiders reduced both cricket abundance and herbivory under ambient, dry conditions, but not where free water was added. When water was added (free or within moist leaves), cricket abundance was unaffected by large spiders, but spiders still altered herbivory, suggesting behavioural effects. Moreover, we found threshold-type increases in herbivory at moderately low soil moisture (between 5.5% and 7% by volume), suggesting the possibility that water balance may commonly influence top-down effects. Overall, our results point towards animal water balance as an important driver of direct and indirect species interactions and food web dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems.
Copyright Statement
Post-print
Repository Citation
McCluney, Kevin E. and Sabo, John L., "Animal water balance drives top-down effects in a riparian forest-implications for terrestrial trophic cascades" (2016). Biological Sciences Faculty Publications. 65.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/bio_sci_pub/65
Publication Date
8-2016
Publication Title
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Publisher
The Royal Society
Volume
17
Issue
283