Decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic ecosystem
Globally, overfishing large-bodied groundfish populations has resulted in substantial increases in their prey populations. Where it has been examined, the effects of overfishing have cascaded down the food chain. In an intensively fished area on the western Scotian Shelf, Northwest Atlantic, the bio...
Published in: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 |
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crroyalsociety:10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 2024-06-23T07:55:41+00:00 Decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic ecosystem Shackell, Nancy L. Frank, Kenneth T. Fisher, Jonathan A. D. Petrie, Brian Leggett, William C. 2009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 en eng The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 277, issue 1686, page 1353-1360 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 journal-article 2009 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 2024-06-10T04:15:16Z Globally, overfishing large-bodied groundfish populations has resulted in substantial increases in their prey populations. Where it has been examined, the effects of overfishing have cascaded down the food chain. In an intensively fished area on the western Scotian Shelf, Northwest Atlantic, the biomass of prey species increased exponentially (doubling time of 11 years) even though the aggregate biomass of their predators remained stable over 38 years. Concomitant reductions in herbivorous zooplankton and increases in phytoplankton were also evident. This anomalous trophic pattern led us to examine how declines in predator body size (approx. 60% in body mass since the early 1970s) and climatic regime influenced lower trophic levels. The increase in prey biomass was associated primarily with declines in predator body size and secondarily to an increase in stratification. Sea surface temperature and predator biomass had no influence. A regression model explained 65 per cent of prey biomass variability. Trait-mediated effects, namely a reduction in predator size, resulted in a weakening of top predation pressure. Increased stratification may have enhanced growing conditions for prey fish. Size-selective harvesting under changing climatic conditions initiated a trophic restructuring of the food chain, the effects of which may have influenced three trophic levels. Article in Journal/Newspaper Northwest Atlantic The Royal Society Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 277 1686 1353 1360 |
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The Royal Society |
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crroyalsociety |
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English |
description |
Globally, overfishing large-bodied groundfish populations has resulted in substantial increases in their prey populations. Where it has been examined, the effects of overfishing have cascaded down the food chain. In an intensively fished area on the western Scotian Shelf, Northwest Atlantic, the biomass of prey species increased exponentially (doubling time of 11 years) even though the aggregate biomass of their predators remained stable over 38 years. Concomitant reductions in herbivorous zooplankton and increases in phytoplankton were also evident. This anomalous trophic pattern led us to examine how declines in predator body size (approx. 60% in body mass since the early 1970s) and climatic regime influenced lower trophic levels. The increase in prey biomass was associated primarily with declines in predator body size and secondarily to an increase in stratification. Sea surface temperature and predator biomass had no influence. A regression model explained 65 per cent of prey biomass variability. Trait-mediated effects, namely a reduction in predator size, resulted in a weakening of top predation pressure. Increased stratification may have enhanced growing conditions for prey fish. Size-selective harvesting under changing climatic conditions initiated a trophic restructuring of the food chain, the effects of which may have influenced three trophic levels. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Shackell, Nancy L. Frank, Kenneth T. Fisher, Jonathan A. D. Petrie, Brian Leggett, William C. |
spellingShingle |
Shackell, Nancy L. Frank, Kenneth T. Fisher, Jonathan A. D. Petrie, Brian Leggett, William C. Decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic ecosystem |
author_facet |
Shackell, Nancy L. Frank, Kenneth T. Fisher, Jonathan A. D. Petrie, Brian Leggett, William C. |
author_sort |
Shackell, Nancy L. |
title |
Decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic ecosystem |
title_short |
Decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic ecosystem |
title_full |
Decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic ecosystem |
title_fullStr |
Decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic ecosystem |
title_full_unstemmed |
Decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic ecosystem |
title_sort |
decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic ecosystem |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 |
genre |
Northwest Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Northwest Atlantic |
op_source |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 277, issue 1686, page 1353-1360 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 |
op_rights |
https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.1020 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
277 |
container_issue |
1686 |
container_start_page |
1353 |
op_container_end_page |
1360 |
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1802648345100943360 |