Trophic consequences of terrestrial eutrophication for a threatened ungulate
Changes in primary productivity have the potential to substantially alter food webs, with positive outcomes for some species and negative outcomes for others. Understanding the environmental context and species traits that give rise to these divergent outcomes is a major challenge to the generality...
Published in: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
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crroyalsociety:10.1098/rspb.2020.2811 2024-10-13T14:01:05+00:00 Trophic consequences of terrestrial eutrophication for a threatened ungulate Serrouya, Robert Dickie, Melanie Lamb, Clayton van Oort, Harry Kelly, Allicia P. DeMars, Craig McLoughlin, Philip D. Larter, Nicholas C. Hervieux, Dave Ford, Adam T. Boutin, Stan BC Oil and Gas Research and Innovation Society Alberta Environment and Parks Northwest Territories Western Biophysical Program Northwest Territories Cumulative Monitoring Impact Program Government of Northwest Territories Regional Industry Caribou Collaboration 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2811 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2020.2811 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2020.2811 en eng The Royal Society http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 288, issue 1943, page 20202811 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 journal-article 2021 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2811 2024-09-17T04:34:41Z Changes in primary productivity have the potential to substantially alter food webs, with positive outcomes for some species and negative outcomes for others. Understanding the environmental context and species traits that give rise to these divergent outcomes is a major challenge to the generality of both theoretical and applied ecology. In aquatic systems, nutrient-mediated eutrophication has led to major declines in species diversity, motivating us to seek terrestrial analogues using a large-mammal system across 598 000 km 2 of the Canadian boreal forest. These forests are undergoing some of the most rapid rates of land-use change on Earth and are home to declining caribou ( Rangifer tarandus caribou ) populations. Using satellite-derived estimates of primary productivity, coupled with estimates of moose ( Alces alces ) and wolf ( Canis lupus ) abundance, we used path analyses to discriminate among hypotheses explaining how habitat alteration can affect caribou population growth. Hypotheses included food limitation, resource dominance by moose over caribou, and apparent competition with predators shared between moose and caribou. Results support apparent competition and yield estimates of wolf densities (1.8 individuals 1000 km −2 ) above which caribou populations decline. Our multi-trophic analysis provides insight into the cascading effects of habitat alteration from forest cutting that destabilize terrestrial predator–prey dynamics. Finally, the path analysis highlights why conservation actions directed at the proximate cause of caribou decline have been more successful in the near term than those directed further along the trophic chain. Article in Journal/Newspaper Alces alces Canis lupus Rangifer tarandus The Royal Society Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 288 1943 20202811 |
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Open Polar |
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The Royal Society |
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crroyalsociety |
language |
English |
description |
Changes in primary productivity have the potential to substantially alter food webs, with positive outcomes for some species and negative outcomes for others. Understanding the environmental context and species traits that give rise to these divergent outcomes is a major challenge to the generality of both theoretical and applied ecology. In aquatic systems, nutrient-mediated eutrophication has led to major declines in species diversity, motivating us to seek terrestrial analogues using a large-mammal system across 598 000 km 2 of the Canadian boreal forest. These forests are undergoing some of the most rapid rates of land-use change on Earth and are home to declining caribou ( Rangifer tarandus caribou ) populations. Using satellite-derived estimates of primary productivity, coupled with estimates of moose ( Alces alces ) and wolf ( Canis lupus ) abundance, we used path analyses to discriminate among hypotheses explaining how habitat alteration can affect caribou population growth. Hypotheses included food limitation, resource dominance by moose over caribou, and apparent competition with predators shared between moose and caribou. Results support apparent competition and yield estimates of wolf densities (1.8 individuals 1000 km −2 ) above which caribou populations decline. Our multi-trophic analysis provides insight into the cascading effects of habitat alteration from forest cutting that destabilize terrestrial predator–prey dynamics. Finally, the path analysis highlights why conservation actions directed at the proximate cause of caribou decline have been more successful in the near term than those directed further along the trophic chain. |
author2 |
BC Oil and Gas Research and Innovation Society Alberta Environment and Parks Northwest Territories Western Biophysical Program Northwest Territories Cumulative Monitoring Impact Program Government of Northwest Territories Regional Industry Caribou Collaboration |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Serrouya, Robert Dickie, Melanie Lamb, Clayton van Oort, Harry Kelly, Allicia P. DeMars, Craig McLoughlin, Philip D. Larter, Nicholas C. Hervieux, Dave Ford, Adam T. Boutin, Stan |
spellingShingle |
Serrouya, Robert Dickie, Melanie Lamb, Clayton van Oort, Harry Kelly, Allicia P. DeMars, Craig McLoughlin, Philip D. Larter, Nicholas C. Hervieux, Dave Ford, Adam T. Boutin, Stan Trophic consequences of terrestrial eutrophication for a threatened ungulate |
author_facet |
Serrouya, Robert Dickie, Melanie Lamb, Clayton van Oort, Harry Kelly, Allicia P. DeMars, Craig McLoughlin, Philip D. Larter, Nicholas C. Hervieux, Dave Ford, Adam T. Boutin, Stan |
author_sort |
Serrouya, Robert |
title |
Trophic consequences of terrestrial eutrophication for a threatened ungulate |
title_short |
Trophic consequences of terrestrial eutrophication for a threatened ungulate |
title_full |
Trophic consequences of terrestrial eutrophication for a threatened ungulate |
title_fullStr |
Trophic consequences of terrestrial eutrophication for a threatened ungulate |
title_full_unstemmed |
Trophic consequences of terrestrial eutrophication for a threatened ungulate |
title_sort |
trophic consequences of terrestrial eutrophication for a threatened ungulate |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2811 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2020.2811 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2020.2811 |
genre |
Alces alces Canis lupus Rangifer tarandus |
genre_facet |
Alces alces Canis lupus Rangifer tarandus |
op_source |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 288, issue 1943, page 20202811 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2811 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
288 |
container_issue |
1943 |
container_start_page |
20202811 |
_version_ |
1812819797782560768 |