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Scale-dependent neighborhood effects: shared doom and associational refuge
Sara E Emerson1, Joel S Brown, Christopher J Whelan
1Biology Department, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI 54911, USA. sara.e.emerson@lawrence.edu
Oecologia
|October 12, 2011
Summary
Predator foraging behavior influences seed survival. Squirrels preferentially consumed palatable seeds, leading to increased mortality for less palatable seeds when grouped together, demonstrating a "shared doom" effect.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Behavioral Ecology
- Plant-Animal Interactions
Background:
- Predation risk can be influenced by the palatability of prey and neighboring resources.
- Understanding how prey distribution affects survival is crucial for ecological dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of plant chemical defenses and spatial distribution on seed survival.
- To test foraging theory predictions regarding associational effects in prey selection.
Main Methods:
- Manipulated the frequency of palatable and less palatable sunflower seeds in food patches.
- Varied resource distributions at three spatial scales: among stations, among adjacent patches, and within patches.
- Observed foraging by fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) and gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis).
Main Results:
- Higher mortality of seeds occurred at stations with more palatable seeds.
- Squirrels strongly selected palatable seeds over less palatable ones within patches.
- Increasing densities of palatable seeds amplified the mortality of less palatable seeds (shared doom effect).
- Associational effects disappeared when seeds were partitioned into micropatches.
Conclusions:
- The scale of prey heterogeneity and consumer foraging strategy determine associational effects.
- Squirrels' diet selection and scale-dependent responses influence prey survival.
- Plant palatability and spatial arrangement significantly impact seed survival dynamics.
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