Predator-prey relationships in a changing environment: the case of the sparrowhawk and its avian prey community in a rural area.
International audience 1. Changes in community composition are expected to entail cascading effects at different trophic levels within a food web. However, empirical evidence on the impact of changes in prey communities on the population dynamics of generalist predators, and on the extent of possibl...
Published in: | Journal of Animal Ecology |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-00410265 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x |
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ftunivnantes:oai:HAL:hal-00410265v1 2023-05-15T13:10:13+02:00 Predator-prey relationships in a changing environment: the case of the sparrowhawk and its avian prey community in a rural area. Millon, Alexandre Nielsen, Jan Tøttrup Bretagnolle, Vincent Møller, Anders Pape Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC) Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences Aberdeen University of Aberdeen Espedal 4 Ecologie Systématique et Evolution (ESE) Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-AgroParisTech-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 2009-09 https://hal.science/hal-00410265 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x en eng HAL CCSD Wiley info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/19558613 hal-00410265 https://hal.science/hal-00410265 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x PUBMED: 19558613 ISSN: 0021-8790 EISSN: 1365-2656 Journal of Animal Ecology https://hal.science/hal-00410265 Journal of Animal Ecology, 2009, 78 (5), pp.1086-95. ⟨10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x⟩ Accipiter nisus demography generalist predation global change growth rate predator pit prey community [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2009 ftunivnantes https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x 2023-02-08T01:19:52Z International audience 1. Changes in community composition are expected to entail cascading effects at different trophic levels within a food web. However, empirical evidence on the impact of changes in prey communities on the population dynamics of generalist predators, and on the extent of possible feedback processes, remains scarce. 2. We analysed the dynamics of a generalist predator, the European sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus L., in a rural area of Northern Denmark. Over a 20-year period, the diet of the predator has been thoroughly assessed (>30,000 identified prey items) and quantitative information about its avian prey community, based on standard breeding bird surveys, has revealed significant trends for several passerine species, although the overall prey biomass available remained stable. 3. The growth rate of the sparrowhawk breeding population was negatively related to the previous sparrowhawk density and to winter temperature, but was positively related to available prey biomass. Contrary to expectations for a generalist predator, sparrowhawks seemed to be predominantly sensitive to changes in the cumulative abundance of their two main prey species, the skylark Alauda arvensis L. and the blackbird Turdus merula L., but less so to changes in the wider prey community. 4. In demographic terms, the two-phase sparrowhawk dynamic recorded here (a recovery following an initial decrease) was mainly driven by recruitment of yearling females into the breeding population rather than by variation in the apparent survival of breeding females. 5. Our findings emphasize that changes in the composition of a prey community, affected by environmental changes, impacted population dynamics of a generalist predator. Finally, we found conditions that might enable apparent competition between blackbirds and song thrushes Turdus philomelos L. to occur. High blackbird abundance, maintaining sparrowhawks at a relatively high density may, in turn, push song thrushes into a predator pit. Article in Journal/Newspaper Alauda arvensis Université de Nantes: HAL-UNIV-NANTES Journal of Animal Ecology 78 5 1086 1095 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Université de Nantes: HAL-UNIV-NANTES |
op_collection_id |
ftunivnantes |
language |
English |
topic |
Accipiter nisus demography generalist predation global change growth rate predator pit prey community [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes |
spellingShingle |
Accipiter nisus demography generalist predation global change growth rate predator pit prey community [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes Millon, Alexandre Nielsen, Jan Tøttrup Bretagnolle, Vincent Møller, Anders Pape Predator-prey relationships in a changing environment: the case of the sparrowhawk and its avian prey community in a rural area. |
topic_facet |
Accipiter nisus demography generalist predation global change growth rate predator pit prey community [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes |
description |
International audience 1. Changes in community composition are expected to entail cascading effects at different trophic levels within a food web. However, empirical evidence on the impact of changes in prey communities on the population dynamics of generalist predators, and on the extent of possible feedback processes, remains scarce. 2. We analysed the dynamics of a generalist predator, the European sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus L., in a rural area of Northern Denmark. Over a 20-year period, the diet of the predator has been thoroughly assessed (>30,000 identified prey items) and quantitative information about its avian prey community, based on standard breeding bird surveys, has revealed significant trends for several passerine species, although the overall prey biomass available remained stable. 3. The growth rate of the sparrowhawk breeding population was negatively related to the previous sparrowhawk density and to winter temperature, but was positively related to available prey biomass. Contrary to expectations for a generalist predator, sparrowhawks seemed to be predominantly sensitive to changes in the cumulative abundance of their two main prey species, the skylark Alauda arvensis L. and the blackbird Turdus merula L., but less so to changes in the wider prey community. 4. In demographic terms, the two-phase sparrowhawk dynamic recorded here (a recovery following an initial decrease) was mainly driven by recruitment of yearling females into the breeding population rather than by variation in the apparent survival of breeding females. 5. Our findings emphasize that changes in the composition of a prey community, affected by environmental changes, impacted population dynamics of a generalist predator. Finally, we found conditions that might enable apparent competition between blackbirds and song thrushes Turdus philomelos L. to occur. High blackbird abundance, maintaining sparrowhawks at a relatively high density may, in turn, push song thrushes into a predator pit. |
author2 |
Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC) Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences Aberdeen University of Aberdeen Espedal 4 Ecologie Systématique et Evolution (ESE) Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-AgroParisTech-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Millon, Alexandre Nielsen, Jan Tøttrup Bretagnolle, Vincent Møller, Anders Pape |
author_facet |
Millon, Alexandre Nielsen, Jan Tøttrup Bretagnolle, Vincent Møller, Anders Pape |
author_sort |
Millon, Alexandre |
title |
Predator-prey relationships in a changing environment: the case of the sparrowhawk and its avian prey community in a rural area. |
title_short |
Predator-prey relationships in a changing environment: the case of the sparrowhawk and its avian prey community in a rural area. |
title_full |
Predator-prey relationships in a changing environment: the case of the sparrowhawk and its avian prey community in a rural area. |
title_fullStr |
Predator-prey relationships in a changing environment: the case of the sparrowhawk and its avian prey community in a rural area. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Predator-prey relationships in a changing environment: the case of the sparrowhawk and its avian prey community in a rural area. |
title_sort |
predator-prey relationships in a changing environment: the case of the sparrowhawk and its avian prey community in a rural area. |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-00410265 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x |
genre |
Alauda arvensis |
genre_facet |
Alauda arvensis |
op_source |
ISSN: 0021-8790 EISSN: 1365-2656 Journal of Animal Ecology https://hal.science/hal-00410265 Journal of Animal Ecology, 2009, 78 (5), pp.1086-95. ⟨10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/19558613 hal-00410265 https://hal.science/hal-00410265 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x PUBMED: 19558613 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01575.x |
container_title |
Journal of Animal Ecology |
container_volume |
78 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
1086 |
op_container_end_page |
1095 |
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1766220277453160448 |