捕食者の狩猟モードが草原の生態系機能に及ぼす影響
1School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. oswald.schmitz@yale.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 16, 2008
まとめ
捕食者の狩猟モードは,生態系の機能に大きく影響を与えます. クモのような活発なハンターは,植物多様性を減少させながらも生産性を高める一方で,待ち伏せ捕食者は草原の生態系に逆の影響を及ぼします.
科学分野:
- エコロジー エコロジー エコロジー
- エコシステムのダイナミクス
- 捕食者と獲物の相互作用
背景:
- 捕食者の狩猟モードと獲物の反捕食者の行動が相互作用し,獲物の集団を制御します.
- この相互作用が生態系機能に及ぼす影響は,依然として大きく不確実である.
- の種は,植物の構成と生態系の機能を制御する支配的な草食動物です.
研究 の 目的:
- 捕食者の狩猟モードが生態系機能にどのように影響するかを調査する.
- 異なる捕食者狩猟戦略が草原の生態系に及ぼす影響を決定する.
- これらの効果を媒介する獲物の反応の役割を理解する.
主な方法:
- 草原メソコスムを使って3年間の実験が行われました.
- この研究では,積極的に狩猟しているクモと,待ち伏せしている待ち伏せしているクモの効果を比較した.
- 測定対象には,植物種の多様性,地上の純一次生産量,窒素鉱化率などが含まれていた.
主要な成果:
- 活発に狩猟するクモは,植物種の多様性を減少させた.
- 活発に狩猟するクモは,地上での純原産と窒素鉱化率を向上させた.
- 待ち伏せするスパイダーは,これらの生態系パラメータに対して反対の効果を示した.
結論:
- 捕食者の狩猟モードは,上から下の生態系制御に影響を与える重要な機能的特徴です.
- 異なる捕食者の狩猟戦略は,獲物の反応を通じて,異なる生態系機能につながります.
- 捕食者の行動を理解することは,捕食に対する生態系の反応を予測するために重要です.
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