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Related Concept Videos

Trophic Efficiency00:46

Trophic Efficiency

Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) is a measure of the total energy transfer from one trophic level to the next. Due to extensive energy loss as metabolic heat, an average of only 10% of the original energy obtained is passed on to the next level. This pattern of energy loss severely limits the possible number of trophic levels in a food chain.
Trophic Levels01:35

Trophic Levels

All organisms in an ecosystem occupy a trophic level in the food chain. The lowest level consists of primary producers, which synthesize their food from either solar or chemical energy. Each subsequent level obtains energy from the levels below. Detritivores can occupy any of the levels above primary producers.
Primary Production01:06

Primary Production

The total amount of energy acquired by primary producers in an ecosystem is called gross primary production (GPP). However, of this energy, producers use some for metabolic processes, and some is lost as heat, decreasing the amount of energy available to the next trophic level. The remaining usable amount of energy is called the net primary productivity (NPP). In terrestrial ecosystems, NPP is driven by climate, while light penetration and nutrient availability drive NPP in aquatic ecosystems.
What is an Ecosystem?01:17

What is an Ecosystem?

Overview
What are Biogeochemical Cycles?00:54

What are Biogeochemical Cycles?

The most common elements in organic molecules, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, are only available in the ecosystem in limited amounts. Therefore, these nutrients must be recycled through both biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem, in processes generally called biogeochemical cycles.
Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.Although predation is commonly associated with carnivory, for...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

Terrestrial trophic cascades: how much do they trickle?

J Halaj1, D H Wise

  • 1Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546-0091, USA.

The American Naturalist
|August 19, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Trophic cascades, where predators control herbivore populations, are common in terrestrial food webs. However, their impact on plant biomass is generally weaker than in aquatic ecosystems.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Food web dynamics
  • Community ecology

Background:

  • Trophic cascades are well-documented in aquatic ecosystems but debated in terrestrial ones.
  • Terrestrial arthropod-dominated food webs are key systems for studying these effects.
  • Understanding trophic cascades is crucial for ecosystem management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the magnitude and conditions influencing trophic cascades in terrestrial food webs.
  • To compare terrestrial trophic cascade effects with those in aquatic systems.
  • To assess the impact of trophic cascades on herbivore abundance and plant damage.

Main Methods:

  • Meta-analysis of field experiments on terrestrial arthropod-dominated food webs.
  • Analysis of predator removal experiments to observe effects on herbivore densities and plant damage.

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Laboratory Estimation of Net Trophic Transfer Efficiencies of PCB Congeners to Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from Its Prey
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Fatty Acid 13C Isotopologue Profiling Provides Insight into Trophic Carbon Transfer and Lipid Metabolism of Invertebrate Consumers
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Fatty Acid 13C Isotopologue Profiling Provides Insight into Trophic Carbon Transfer and Lipid Metabolism of Invertebrate Consumers

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Laboratory Estimation of Net Trophic Transfer Efficiencies of PCB Congeners to Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from Its Prey
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Fatty Acid 13C Isotopologue Profiling Provides Insight into Trophic Carbon Transfer and Lipid Metabolism of Invertebrate Consumers
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  • Comparison of cascade strength across different terrestrial ecosystems.

    • Main Results:

    • Extensive support for trophic cascades in terrestrial communities, with predator removal increasing herbivore densities and plant damage.
    • Predominantly three-trophic-level interactions observed, with weaker evidence for cascades decreasing herbivory.
    • Trophic cascades had minimal impact on overall plant biomass, though effects on plant damage were significant.
    • Predation effects on herbivore abundance were similar in agricultural and natural systems, but plant biomass effects varied.
    • Terrestrial trophic cascades appear weaker in affecting primary producer biomass compared to aquatic systems.

    Conclusions:

    • Terrestrial food webs exhibit significant trophic cascades, primarily driven by predator-herbivore interactions.
    • While impacting herbivore populations and plant damage, trophic cascades have a less pronounced effect on overall plant biomass in terrestrial ecosystems.
    • The strength of terrestrial trophic cascades on primary producer biomass is weaker than in aquatic ecosystems.