Prey preference of top predators manipulates the functioning and stability of multi-trophic ecosystems |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China;2. UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department Lake Research, Brückstr. 3a, 39114 Magdeburg, Germany;3. State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China;1. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA;2. Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis 09200, France;3. Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis 09200, France;4. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA;5. Institut des Sciences de l''Evolution du CNRS, Université Montpellier 2, France;6. Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, USA;7. Departamento de Ecología. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile;8. Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB);1. School of Applied Mathematics, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China;2. School of Mathematical Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China;1. Dipartimento di Matematica “Giuseppe Peano”, via Carlo Alberto 10, Università di Torino, Torino 10123, ITALY;2. University of Yuzuncu Yil, Faculty of Agriculture, Dept. of Plant Protection, Van, 65080, TURKEY;3. Centre for Mathematical Biology and Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK |
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| Abstract: | The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and the mechanisms underpinning the food web stability, have been intensively investigated in ecological research. The ubiquities of generalists in natural food webs and its important role in dictating these ecosystem properties have been generally recognized. However, how competition between multiple top predators shape these ecosystem properties and determine the success of invasive predators remain largely unexplored. Here, we use a well-developed food web model to investigate the effects of prey preference of top predators on ecosystem functioning and food web stability in both local and invasive conditions. We design several modeling scenarios to mimic combinations of different types of top predators (specialist/generalist) and their origins (local/invasive). Our model theoretically shows that lower exploitation competition for prey between top predators (with distinct prey preferences featured by higher attack rates) would be beneficial for the ecosystem functioning and food web stability. We also demonstrate that the success of top predator invasion depends on the prey preference of both local and invasive top predators. Sensitivity analysis on the model further supports our findings. Our results highlight the importance of prey preference of multiple top predators in manipulating the properties of multi-trophic ecosystems. Our findings may have important implications because the current ongoing global changes profoundly change the phenology of many biological systems and create trophic mismatch, which may manipulate prey preference of top predators and in turn deteriorate ecosystem functioning and food web stability. |
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