Data from: Experimental duration and predator satiation levels systematically affect functional response parameters

• Main Authors: Li, Yuanheng, Rall, Björn C., Kalinkat, Gregor
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Dryad Digital Repository 2017
• Subjects: handling time; attack rate; functional response; body mass; body size; temperature; experimental duration; predator satiation; Abax parallelepipedus; Acartia hudsonica; Achirus lineatus; Acrobeloides nanus; Actinomonas mirabilis; Aedes aegypti; Allochromatium vinosum; Alosa pseudoharengus; Alphitobius diaperinus; Amblyseius andersoni; Amblyseius longispinosus; Americamysis bahia; Anchoa mitchilli; Anisops deanei; Aphis craccivora; Aphis gossypii; Aponychus corpuzae; Archosargus rhomboidalis; Artemia; Brachydanio rerio; Calanus finmarchicus; Calathus fuscipes; Calliopius laeviusculus; Celithemis fasciata; Centropages typicus; Ceriodaphnia dubia; Chaetoceros gracilis; Chaoborus americanus; Chattonella antiqua; Cheilomenes sexmaculata; Chironomidae; Chironomus tentans; Chlorella vulgaris; Chrysopa oculata; Chydorus sphaericus; Coccinella septempunctata; Coccinella transversalis; Coenosia attenuata; Coleomegilla maculata; Collops quadrimaculatus; Coregonus hoyi; Crangon septemspinosa
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.g5516

Empirical feeding studies where density-dependent consumption rates are fitted to functional response models are often used to parameterize the interaction strengths in models of population or food-web dynamics. However, the relationship between functional response parameter estimates from short-term feeding studies and real-world, long-term, trophic interaction strengths remains largely unexamined. In a critical first step to address this void, we tested for systematic effects of experimental duration and predator satiation on the estimate of functional response parameters, namely attack rate and handling time. Analyzing a large data set covering a wide range of predator taxa and body masses we show that attack rates decrease with increasing experimental duration, and that handling times of starved predators are consistently shorter than those of satiated predators. Therefore, both the experimental duration and the predator satiation level have a strong and systematic impact on the predictions of population dynamics and food-web stability. Our study highlights potential pitfalls at the intersection of empirical and theoretical applications of functional responses. We conclude our study with some practical suggestions for how these implications should be addressed in the future to improve predictive abilities and realism in models of predator-prey interactions. Data from: Li et al (2017) OikosLiterature data on functional response experiments across studies containing additional information on e.g. body mass, temperature, starvation (see readme file for details).Lietal_oikos_2017_data.csv