Improving the biological realism of predator–prey size relationships in food web models alters ecosystem dynamics

Kieran J. Murphy; Gretta T. Pecl; Jason D. Everett; Ryan F. Heneghan; Shane A. Richards; Anthony J. Richardson; Jayson M. Semmens; Julia L. Blanchard

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2023.0142

Back

Improving the biological realism of predator–prey size relationships in food web models alters ecosystem dynamics

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Improving the biological realism of predator–prey size relationships in food web models alters ecosystem dynamics

Kieran J. Murphy, Gretta T. Pecl, Jason D. Everett, Ryan F. Heneghan, Shane A. Richards, Anthony J. Richardson, Jayson M. Semmens and Julia L. Blanchard

Biology Letters, Vol.19(10), pp.1-6

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0142

PMCID: PMC10597676

PMID: 37875159

Files and links (2)

pdf

Improving the biological realism of predator–prey size relationships in food web models alters ecosystem dynamics538.04 kBDownload View

Published Version Open Access CC BY V4.0

url

https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6877840View

Published Version

Abstract

cephalopods

functional traits

predator–prey interactions

size spectrum

trophic allometry

Body-size relationships between predators and prey exhibit remarkable diversity. However, the assumption that predators typically consume proportionally smaller prey often underlies size-dependent predation in ecosystem models. In reality, some animals can consume larger prey or exhibit limited changes in prey size as they grow larger themselves. These distinct predator–prey size relationships challenge the conventional assumptions of traditional size-based models. Cephalopods, with their diverse feeding behaviours and life histories, offer an excellent case study to investigate the impact of greater biological realism in predator–prey size relationships on energy flow within a size-structured ecosystem model. By categorizing cephalopods into high and low-activity groups, in line with empirically derived, distinct predator–prey size relationships, we found that incorporating greater biological realism in size-based feeding reduced ecosystem biomass and production, while simultaneously increasing biomass stability and turnover. Our results have broad implications for ecosystem modelling, since distinct predator–prey size relationships extend beyond cephalopods, encompassing a wide array of major taxonomic groups from filter-feeding fishes to baleen whales. Incorporating a diversity of size-based feeding in food web models can enhance their ecological and predictive accuracy when studying ecosystem dynamics.

Details

Title: Improving the biological realism of predator–prey size relationships in food web models alters ecosystem dynamics
Authors: Kieran J. Murphy (Corresponding Author) - University of Tasmania
Gretta T. Pecl (Author) - University of Tasmania
Jason D. Everett (Author) - The University of Queensland
Ryan F. Heneghan (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Shane A. Richards (Author) - University of Tasmania
Anthony J. Richardson (Author) - The University of Queensland
Jayson M. Semmens (Author) - University of Tasmania
Julia L. Blanchard (Author) - University of Tasmania
Publication details: Biology Letters, Vol.19(10), pp.1-6
Publisher: The Royal Society Publishing
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0142
ISSN: 1744-957X
PMID: 37875159; PMC10597676
Copyright note: © 2023 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution. License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.
Grants: Future fisheries under climate change: the missing role of zooplankton, DP190102293, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Linking phytoplankton to fisheries using zooplankton size spectra, DP150102656, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
The Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, SR200100008, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Bridging the land–sea divide to ensure food security under climate change, FT210100798, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99971188102621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

43 Record Views

1 Times Cited - Web of Science

See more details

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Biology; Ecology; Evolutionary Biology

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: SDGs from InCites