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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Consumer-resource body-size relationships in natural food webs
Ecology, Volume 87, No. 10, Year 2006
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Description
It has been suggested that differences in body size between consumer and resource species may have important implications for interaction strengths, population dynamics, and eventually food web structure, function, and evolution. Still, the general distribution of consumer-resource body-size ratios in real ecosystems, and whether they vary systematically among habitats or broad taxonomic groups, is poorly understood. Using a unique global database on consumer and resource body sizes, we show that the mean bodysize ratios of aquatic herbivorous and detritivorous consumers are several orders of magnitude larger than those of carnivorous predators. Carnivorous predator-prey body-size ratios vary across different habitats and predator and prey types (invertebrates, ectotherm, and endotherm vertebrates). Predator-prey body-size ratios are on average significantly higher (1) in freshwater habitats than in marine or terrestrial habitats, (2) for vertebrate than for invertebrate predators, and (3) for invertebrate than for ectotherm vertebrate prey. If recent studies that relate body-size ratios to interaction strengths are general, our results suggest that mean consumer-resource interaction strengths may vary systematically across different habitat categories and consumer types. © 2006 by the Ecological Society of America.
Authors & Co-Authors
Brose, Ulrich
Germany, Darmstadt
Technische Universität Darmstadt
United States, Berkeley
Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab
Jonsson, Tomas
Sweden, Skovde
Högskolan I Skövde
Berlow, Eric L.
Germany, Darmstadt
Technische Universität Darmstadt
United States, Berkeley
Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab
United States, Merced
Uc Merced
Warren, Philip H.
United Kingdom, Sheffield
The University of Sheffield
Banasek-Richter, Carolin
Germany, Darmstadt
Technische Universität Darmstadt
Bersier, Louis Félix
Switzerland, Fribourg
Unit of Ecology and Evolution
Blanchard, Julia L.
United Kingdom, Lowestoft
Centre for the Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Brey, Thomas
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Carpenter, Stephen R.
United States, Madison
University of Wisconsin-madison
Blandenier, Marie France Cattin
Switzerland, Neuchatel
Zoological Institute
Cushing, Lara
United States, Berkeley
Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab
Dawah, Hassan Ali
Saudi Arabia, Abha
King Khalid University
Dell, Anthony I.
Australia, Townsville
James Cook University
Edwards, Francois
United Kingdom, Birmingham
University of Birmingham
Harper-Smith, Sarah
United States, Bellingham
Western Washington University
Jacob, Ute
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Ledger, Mark E.
United Kingdom, Birmingham
University of Birmingham
Martinez, Neo D.
United States, Berkeley
Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab
Memmott, Jane
United Kingdom, Bristol
University of Bristol
Mintenbeck, K.
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Pinnegar, John K.
United Kingdom, Lowestoft
Centre for the Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Rall, Björn C.
Germany, Darmstadt
Technische Universität Darmstadt
Rayner, Thomas S.
Australia, Townsville
James Cook University
Reuman, Daniel C.
United States, New York
Columbia University
Rueß, Liliane
Germany, Stuttgart
Universität Hohenheim
Ulrich, Werner
Poland, Torun
Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu
Williams, Richard J.
United States, Berkeley
Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab
United Kingdom, Cambridge
Microsoft Research Cambridge
Woodward, Guy
United Kingdom, London
School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Queen Mary University of London
Cohen, Joel E.
United States, New York
Columbia University
Statistics
Citations: 582
Authors: 29
Affiliations: 20
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[2411:CBRINF]2.0.CO;2
ISSN:
00129658
e-ISSN:
00129658
Research Areas
Food Security
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study