TY - JOUR

T1 - Incorporating anthropogenic effects into trophic ecology

T2 - Predator - Prey interactions in a human-dominated landscape

AU - Dorresteijn, Ine

AU - Schultner, Jannik

AU - Nimmo, Dale G.

AU - Fischer, Joern

AU - Hanspach, Jan

AU - Kuemmerle, Tobias

AU - Kehoe, Laura

AU - Ritchie, Euan G.

PY - 2015/9/7

Y1 - 2015/9/7

N2 - Apex predators perform important functions that regulate ecosystems world- wide. However, little is known about how ecosystem regulation by predators is influenced by human activities. In particular, how important are top-down effects of predators relative to direct and indirect human-mediated bottom-up and top-down processes? Combining data on species’ occurrence from camera traps and hunting records, we aimed to quantify the relative effects of top- down and bottom-up processes in shaping predator and prey distributions in a human-dominated landscape in Transylvania, Romania. By global standards this system is diverse, including apex predators (brown bear and wolf), mesopredators (red fox) and large herbivores (roe and red deer). Humans and free-ranging dogs represent additional predators in the system. Using structural equation modelling, we found that apex predators suppress lower trophic levels, especially herbivores. However, direct and indirect top- down effects of humans affected the ecosystem more strongly, influencing species at all trophic levels. Our study highlights the need to explicitly embed humans and their influences within trophic cascade theory. This will greatly expand our understanding of species interactions in human-modified landscapes, which compose the majority of the Earth’s terrestrial surface.

AB - Apex predators perform important functions that regulate ecosystems world- wide. However, little is known about how ecosystem regulation by predators is influenced by human activities. In particular, how important are top-down effects of predators relative to direct and indirect human-mediated bottom-up and top-down processes? Combining data on species’ occurrence from camera traps and hunting records, we aimed to quantify the relative effects of top- down and bottom-up processes in shaping predator and prey distributions in a human-dominated landscape in Transylvania, Romania. By global standards this system is diverse, including apex predators (brown bear and wolf), mesopredators (red fox) and large herbivores (roe and red deer). Humans and free-ranging dogs represent additional predators in the system. Using structural equation modelling, we found that apex predators suppress lower trophic levels, especially herbivores. However, direct and indirect top- down effects of humans affected the ecosystem more strongly, influencing species at all trophic levels. Our study highlights the need to explicitly embed humans and their influences within trophic cascade theory. This will greatly expand our understanding of species interactions in human-modified landscapes, which compose the majority of the Earth’s terrestrial surface.

KW - Apex predators

KW - Habitat modification

KW - Large herbivores

KW - Mesopredators

KW - Top-down versus bottom-up

KW - Trophic cascade

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - Ecosystems Research

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84940865124&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2015.1602

DO - 10.1098/rspb.2015.1602

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 26336169

AN - SCOPUS:84940865124

VL - 282

JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

SN - 0962-8452

IS - 1814

M1 - 20151602

ER -