Global patterns in the impact of marine herbivores on benthic primary producers

A G B Poore; Alexandra H Campbell; R A Coleman; G J Edgar; V Jormalainen; P L Reynolds; E E Sotka; J J Stachowicz; R B Taylor; M A Vanderklift; J Emmett Duffy

doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01804.x

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Global patterns in the impact of marine herbivores on benthic primary producers

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Global patterns in the impact of marine herbivores on benthic primary producers

A G B Poore, Alexandra H Campbell, R A Coleman, G J Edgar, V Jormalainen, P L Reynolds, E E Sotka, J J Stachowicz, R B Taylor, M A Vanderklift, …

Ecology Letters, Vol.15(8), pp.912-922

2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01804.x

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Abstract

coral reef

crustacean

grazing

herbivory

latitudinal gradient

macroalgae

marine

meta-analysis

mollusc

plant-animal interaction

primary production

rocky reef

sea urchin

seagrass

Despite the importance of consumers in structuring communities, and the widespread assumption that consumption is strongest at low latitudes, empirical tests for global scale patterns in the magnitude of consumer impacts are limited. In marine systems, the long tradition of experimentally excluding herbivores in their natural environments allows consumer impacts to be quantified on global scales using consistent methodology. We present a quantitative synthesis of 613 marine herbivore exclusion experiments to test the influence of consumer traits, producer traits and the environment on the strength of herbivore impacts on benthic producers. Across the globe, marine herbivores profoundly reduced producer abundance (by 68% on average), with strongest effects in rocky intertidal habitats and the weakest effects on habitats dominated by vascular plants. Unexpectedly, we found little or no influence of latitude or mean annual water temperature. Instead, herbivore impacts differed most consistently among producer taxonomic and morphological groups. Our results show that grazing impacts on plant abundance are better predicted by producer traits than by large-scale variation in habitat or mean temperature, and that there is a previously unrecognised degree of phylogenetic conservatism in producer susceptibility to consumption. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

Details

Title: Global patterns in the impact of marine herbivores on benthic primary producers
Authors: A G B Poore (Author) - University of New South Wales
Alexandra H Campbell (Author) - University of New South Wales
R A Coleman (Author) - University of Sydney
G J Edgar (Author) - University of Tasmania
V Jormalainen (Author) - University of Turku, Finland
P L Reynolds (Author) - Virginia Institute of Marine Science, United States
E E Sotka (Author) - College of Charleston, United States
J J Stachowicz (Author) - University of California, United States
R B Taylor (Author) - University of Auckland
M A Vanderklift (Author) - CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship
J Emmett Duffy (Author) - Virginia Institute of Marine Science, United States
Publication details: Ecology Letters, Vol.15(8), pp.912-922
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01804.x
ISSN: 1461-023X
Organisation Unit: School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Health - Biomedicine
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450869502621
Output Type: Journal article

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