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Ecosystem Effects of Predators Are Amplified Across Generations Through Prey Behavioural Plasticity
Nathalie R Sommer1, Annise M Dobson1, Matthew S Baker2
1School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Ecology Letters
|November 14, 2025
Summary
Predator effects on ecosystems can grow stronger across prey generations. This occurs because prey develop stronger anti-predator behaviors, magnifying impacts on plant communities and soil carbon.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Ecosystem Science
Background:
- Predator-prey interactions significantly influence ecosystem processes.
- The persistence and amplification of these effects across prey generations are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate transgenerational effects of predator exposure on prey traits and ecosystem processes.
- To determine if predator-induced ecosystem impacts amplify across generations.
Main Methods:
- A 3-year common garden experiment was conducted in a terrestrial old-field ecosystem.
- Four grasshopper prey populations were exposed to predators across two generations.
- Ecosystem processes (plant biomass, diversity, soil carbon) and prey traits were measured.
Main Results:
- Predator effects on plant community biomass, plant diversity, and soil carbon accumulation were greater in the second generation of exposure.
- Second-generation grasshoppers exhibited heightened anti-predator behaviors compared to the first generation.
- Amplification of ecosystem effects correlated with increased prey anti-predator behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Transgenerational behavioral plasticity can magnify predator-driven ecosystem impacts.
- Eco-evolutionary processes significantly influence ecosystem dynamics across generations.
- Predator-prey interactions have lasting, and potentially amplifying, effects on ecosystem structure and function.
Keywords:
biogeochemistryeco‐evolutionary feedbacksfunctional traitsnutrient cyclingpredator–prey interactionstrait‐mediated effectstransgenerational plasticitytrophic cascadesMore Related Videos
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