Predator-prey networks, defensive alkaloids

在“物种相互作用网络的重组”研究单元中，子项目“捕食者-猎物网络，防御性生物碱”侧重于生物碱在形成青蛙和猎物之间的营养网络中的作用。生物碱在植物和各种节肢动物（如蚂蚁和甲螨）中起着重要的防御作用。然而，毒镖蛙会把猎物体内的生物碱吸收到自己的皮肤上。它们的生活史取决于对大多数捕食者来说不好吃，因此是捕食专家。相比之下，大多数其他青蛙都是猎物多面手。我们将沿着森林恢复的时间顺序评估含生物碱节肢动物的可用性以及有毒和非有毒无尾猿的猎物谱。我们认为无脊椎动物-猎物网络重组（恢复）的准确性和速度与对含有生物碱的猎物种类的依赖和可利用性直接相关。此外，我们将比较节肢动物猎物物种的生物碱图谱与蛙类皮肤的生物碱图谱，从而追踪不同蛙类生物碱营养转移的个体路径。

Within the research unit "Reassembly of species interaction networks", the subprojet "Predator-prey networks, defensive alkaloids" focuses on the role of alkaloids in shaping trophic networks between frogs and their prey. Alkaloids play an important role as defensive chemicals in plants and various arthropod groups, i.e., ants and oribatid mites. However, poison dart frogs sequester alkaloids from their prey to their own skin. Their life-history depends on being unpalatable to most predators, and thus on being prey specialists. In contrast, most other frogs are prey generalists. We will assess the availability of alkaloid-containing arthropods and the prey spectrum of poisons and non-poisons anurans along a forest recovery chronosequence. We expect that accuracy and speed of reassembly (recovery) of anuran-prey networks is directly linked to the dependency on and availability of alkaloid containing prey species. In addition, we will compare alkaloid profiles of arthropod prey species with those from the frogs’ skins, and thus track the individual routes of alkaloid trophic transfers for the respective frog species.