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Complex community-wide consequences of consumer sexual dimorphism
Stephen P De Lisle1, Sebastian J Schrieber2, Daniel I Bolnick1
1Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
The Journal of Animal Ecology
|March 9, 2022
Summary
Consumer sexual dimorphism significantly impacts community dynamics. Sex differences in resource acquisition can alter species coexistence, abundance, and lead to population cycles, affecting ecosystem stability.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Theoretical Ecology
Background:
- Sexual dimorphism is common in nature, representing a significant source of variation within species.
- The community-level consequences of this variation, particularly in consumer species, are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of sexual dimorphism in consumer resource acquisition on consumer-resource dynamics.
- To analyze how sex differences in attack rates and resource needs affect species coexistence and community stability.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a bitrophic ecological model.
- Simulated interactions between two competing resource species and one sexually reproducing consumer species.
- Analyzed scenarios of direct interspecific competition and apparent competition.
Main Results:
- Consumer sexual dimorphism can mediate or prevent resource species coexistence.
- Sex differences in attack rates can reverse competitive outcomes and lead to population cycles.
- These effects are pronounced when sexes have differing resource requirements for reproduction.
Conclusions:
- Sexual dimorphism in consumers has profound, widespread implications for community assembly and dynamics.
- Understanding sex differences is crucial for predicting ecological interactions and community stability.
- The study highlights the importance of incorporating sexual dimorphism into ecological models.
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