破坏了与植物的相互关系, 影响了狮子和它们的主要猎物之间的相互作用
Douglas N Kamaru1,2, Todd M Palmer3, Corinna Riginos1,4
1Department of Zoology & Physiology and Program in Ecology & Evolution, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.
概括
一种入侵性物种破坏了当地生态系统, 这种微小的入侵者影响了狮子
科学领域:
- 生态学
- 侵袭性物种的生物学
- 动物的行为
背景情况:
- 互惠主义是对人类活动脆弱的重要生态系统组成部分.
- 侵袭性大头 (Pheidole megacephala) 对已建立的生态关系构成威胁.
研究的目的:
- 研究大头如何影响捕食者和猎物的动态,包括狮子 (Panthera leo) 和平原斑马 (Equus quagga).
- 了解入侵性对息地结构和随后的生态相互作用的连续影响.
主要方法:
- 实地实验和观察.
- 动物追踪和死亡调查.
- 对息地变化的生态建模.
主要成果:
- 侵袭性破坏了当地之间的相互关系 (Crematogaster spp.) 和棘 (Vachellia drepanolobium) 的树木.
- 这种破坏导致了大象 (Loxodonta africana) 浏览树木的脆弱性增加,改变了景观的可见性.
- 在这些变化的景观中,狮子在狩猎平原斑马方面不那么成功,但猎物转向非洲水牛 (Syncerus caffer) 维持了狮子种群.
结论:
- 侵入性可以通过改变景观的生物物理结构来显著地重新配置捕食者-猎物动态.
- 即使是小的入侵物种也会对标志性野生动物群体和生态系统运作产生深远的影响.
相关概念视频
Predator-Prey Interactions
16.2K
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.
16.2K
Symbiosis
28.0K
Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
28.0K
Ecological Disturbance
17.1K
An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.
17.1K
Threats to Biodiversity
22.3K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
22.3K
Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores
13.0K
Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the...
13.0K
Competition
21.7K
When organisms require the same limited resources within an environment, they may have to compete for them. Competition is a net-negative interaction. Even if two competing individuals or populations do not interact directly, the overall fitness of both competitors is lowered as a result of not having full access to the limited resource.
21.7K


