Top-predator control-induced trophic cascades: an alternative hypothesis to the conclusion of Colman et al
Colman et al. (2014 Proc. R. Soc. B 281, 20133094. (doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.3094)) Recently argued that observed positive relationships between dingoes and small mammals were a result of top-down processes whereby lethal dingo control reduced dingoes and increased mesopredators and herbivores, which t...
| Published in: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
Royal Society Publishing
2015
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q3803/top-predator-control-induced-trophic-cascades-an-alternative-hypothesis-to-the-conclusion-of-colman-et-al https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1251 |
| Summary: | Colman et al. (2014 Proc. R. Soc. B 281, 20133094. (doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.3094)) Recently argued that observed positive relationships between dingoes and small mammals were a result of top-down processes whereby lethal dingo control reduced dingoes and increased mesopredators and herbivores, which then suppressed small mammals. Here, I show that the prerequisite negative effects of dingo control on dingoes were not shown, and that the same positive relationships observed may simply represent well-known Bottom-up processes whereby more generalist predators are found in places with more of their preferred prey. Identification of top-predator control-induced trophic cascades first requires demonstration of some actual effect of control on predators, typically possible only through manipulative experiments with the ability to identify cause and effect. |
|---|