Size matters: Body size determines functional responses of ground beetle interactions
Size matters: Body size determines functional responses of ground beetle interactions
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DOI：
10.1016/j.baae.2015.06.001
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发表时间：
2015-11-01
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
Heard, M. S.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ball, S. L.;Woodcock, B. A.;Heard, M. S.
了解捕食模式：猎物系统和营养相互作用的机制，为预测社区结构和提供自然害虫控制服务提供了基础。捕食者对猎物密度的功能反应是相互作用强度的基本量度，其表征对于理解这些过程至关重要。我们用围隔实验来量化的功能反应的五个地面甲虫物种，代表常见的通才掠食者西北欧耕地农业。我们研究了两种机制，预测在自然界中的营养相互作用的关键驱动力：捕食者：猎物的身体大小比和多捕食者的影响。我们的研究结果表明，相似大小的捕食者的觅食模式的特点。地面甲虫的攻击率增加和处理时间减少的捕食者：猎物的身体质量比上升。多个捕食者的总猎物消费率的影响是敏感的相互作用的物种的身份，但不是猎物密度。种间相互作用的程度可能是竞争甲虫物种之间的体重差异的结果。总的来说，这些结果增加了越来越多的证据，在确定营养相互作用的大小的重要性，并建议身体质量可以提供一个重点，根据管理的天敌组合。
Understanding patterns in predator:prey systems and the mechanisms that underlie trophic interactions provides a basis for predicting community structure and the delivery of natural pest control services. The functional response of predators to prey density is a fundamental measure of interaction strength and its characterisation is essential to understanding these processes. We used mesocosm experiments to quantify the functional responses of five ground beetle species that represent common generalist predators of north-west European arable agriculture. We investigated two mechanisms predicted to be key drivers of trophic interactions in natural communities: predator:prey body size ratio and multiple predator effects. Our results show regularities in foraging patterns characteristic of similarly sized predators. Ground beetle attack rates increased and handling times decreased as the predator:prey body-mass ratio rose. Multiple predator effects on total prey consumption rates were sensitive to the identity of the interacting species but not prey density. The extent of interspecific interactions may be a result of differences in body mass between competing beetle species. Overall these results add to the growing evidence for the importance of size in determining trophic interactions and suggest that body mass could offer a focus on which to base the management of natural enemy assemblages.