Higher predation risk for insect prey at low latitudes and elevations.

Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0404511 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1095-9203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00368075 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Science Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: : Washington, DC : American Association for the Advancement of Science
Original Publication: New York, N.Y. : [s.n.] 1880-

Altitude* ; Biodiversity* ; Food Chain* ; Geography* ; Insecta* ; Larva* ; Predatory Behavior*; Animals ; Arthropods/physiology ; Birds/physiology ; Herbivory ; Mammals/physiology

Biotic interactions underlie ecosystem structure and function, but predicting interaction outcomes is difficult. We tested the hypothesis that biotic interaction strength increases toward the equator, using a global experiment with model caterpillars to measure predation risk. Across an 11,660-kilometer latitudinal gradient spanning six continents, we found increasing predation toward the equator, with a parallel pattern of increasing predation toward lower elevations. Patterns across both latitude and elevation were driven by arthropod predators, with no systematic trend in attack rates by birds or mammals. These matching gradients at global and regional scales suggest consistent drivers of biotic interaction strength, a finding that needs to be integrated into general theories of herbivory, community organization, and life-history evolution.
(Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.)

Dryad 10.5061/dryad.j432q

Date Created: 20170520 Date Completed: 20180126 Latest Revision: 20180808

20231215

10.1126/science.aaj1631

28522532