Temperature affects both the Grinnellian and Eltonian dimensions of ecological niches – A tale of two Arctic wolf spiders |
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| Institution: | 1. Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Latokartanonkaari 5, FI-00014 Finland;2. Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, D-79106, Germany;3. Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden;4. Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Vesilinnantie 5, FI-20014 Turku, Finland;5. Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Lahti, Finland;6. School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK;1. Institute of Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany;2. Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology and Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany;3. Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany;1. Molecular Ecology, Institute for Environmental Sciences (iES), University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, Fortstraße 7, Landau/Pfalz 76829, Germany;2. Institute for Groundwater Ecology IGÖ GmbH, University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, Fortstraße 7, Landau/Pfalz 76829, Germany;1. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;2. Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA;3. Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia |
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| Abstract: | To better understand the consequences of global warming for species and their distribution, we need studies quantifying how environmental change affects communities and interaction networks. Where studies to date have mainly focused on climatic effects on species distribution (the Grinnellian dimension of the niche), recent research has emphasised how the environment shapes ecological interactions among species (the Eltonian dimension).Here, we explore both dimensions in a system consisting of two wolf spider species – Pardosa palustris and Pirata piraticus – and their prey. Drawing on a natural experiment consisting of differential geothermal heating of soil, we describe the effects of temperature on the abundance of each species and on its interactions with its prey (using metabarcoding of gut contents). The two spider species differed substantially in their Grinnellian niche, with a peak in the abundance of P. palustris around 10 °C and in P. piraticus around 22 °C. While P. piraticus consumed more prey taxa on average than did P. palustris, both predators maintained their diet breadth and taxon richness of consumed prey across the temperature gradient. This indicates that effects of temperature on metabolic demands did not alter the dietary specialisation of the two predators. Nevertheless, we did also detect effects of temperature on the Eltonian niche, with significant changes in the prey community consumed by the two spider species across the temperature gradient, and a greater turnover of prey taxa in their diet with increasing soil temperature. Importantly, this suggests that the Eltonian niche of species may be conditional on the environment, and that prey use by generalist predators may thus be modified by climate change. |
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