Habitat complexity mitigates trophic transfer on oyster reefs
Habitat complexity mitigates trophic transfer on oyster reefs
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DOI：
10.3354/meps277291
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发表时间：
2004-01-01
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Powers, SP
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Grabowski, JH;Powers, SP
几个水生系统内的结构化栖息地的特征是捕食者及其猎物的丰度较高。要理解这种有点自相矛盾的现象，需要梳理栖息地复杂性如何影响捕食者-猎物动态。为了确定是否栖息地的复杂性影响捕食者觅食效率，我们测量捕食者觅食率结构简单和复杂的栖息地。我们选择了我们的测试系统泥蟹喂养的幼年硬蛤内的生物礁形成的东部牡蛎。在低和中等蟹类密度下，梭子蟹的觅食率在简单生境和复杂生境中相似。然而，在高螃蟹密度觅食率较高的螃蟹在复杂的珊瑚礁比简单的珊瑚礁。除了为中间捕食者和猎物提供避难所外，栖息地的复杂性似乎还通过减少捕食者之间的干扰竞争来提高捕食者的觅食效率。在系统中，人口稠密的捕食者之间的干扰竞争可能是激烈的，复杂的栖息地可能不会提供生存的好处，所有的营养水平。
Structured habitats within several aquatic systems have been characterized as having higher abundances of both predators and their prey. Understanding this somewhat paradoxical phenomenon requires teasing apart how habitat complexity influences predator-prey dynamics. To determine whether habitat complexity influences predator foraging efficiency, we measured predator foraging rates within structurally simple and complex habitats. We selected as our test system mud crabs feeding on juvenile hard clams within biogenic reefs formed by the eastern oyster. At low and intermediate crab densities, foraging rates of mud crabs were similar between simple and complex habitats. However, at high crab densities foraging rates were higher for crabs in the complex reefs than in the simple reefs. In addition to providing refuge to both intermediate predators and their prey, habitat complexity appears to enhance predator foraging efficiency by reducing interference competition among predators. In systems where interference competition among densely populated predators may be intense, complex habitats may not provide survival benefits to all trophic levels.