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Climate drives the geography of marine consumption by changing predator communities
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Climate drives the geography of marine consumption by changing predator communities

Matthew A Whalen, Ross D B Whippo, John J Stachowicz, Paul H York, Erin Aiello, Teresa Alcoverro, Andrew H Altieri, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Camilla Bertolini, Midoli Bresch, …
National Academy of Sciences. Proceedings, Vol.117(45), pp.28160-28166
2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2005255117
PMCID: PMC7668042
PMID: 33106409
url
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2005255117View
Published Version

Abstract

macroecology seagrass latitudinal gradients biogeography trophic processes
The global distribution of primary production and consumption by humans (fisheries) is well-documented, but we have no map linking the central ecological process of consumption within food webs to temperature and other ecological drivers. Using standardized assays that span 105° of latitude on four continents, we show that rates of bait consumption by generalist predators in shallow marine ecosystems are tightly linked to both temperature and the composition of consumer assemblages. Unexpectedly, rates of consumption peaked at midlatitudes (25 to 35°) in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres across both seagrass and unvegetated sediment habitats. This pattern contrasts with terrestrial systems, where biotic interactions reportedly weaken away from the equator, but it parallels an emerging pattern of a subtropical peak in marine biodiversity. The higher consumption at midlatitudes was closely related to the type of consumers present, which explained rates of consumption better than consumer density, biomass, species diversity, or habitat. Indeed, the apparent effect of temperature on consumption was mostly driven by temperature-associated turnover in consumer community composition. Our findings reinforce the key influence of climate warming on altered species composition and highlight its implications for the functioning of Earth's ecosystems.

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Ecology

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#13 Climate Action
#14 Life Below Water

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