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On the context‐dependent scaling of consumer feeding rates
Author(s) -
BarriosO'Neill Daniel,
Kelly Ruth,
Dick Jaimie T. A.,
Ricciardi Anthony,
MacIsaac Hugh J.,
Emmerson Mark C.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.12605
Subject(s) - ecology , context (archaeology) , scaling , predation , habitat , stability (learning theory) , benthic zone , population , simple (philosophy) , resource (disambiguation) , biology , biological system , statistical physics , computer science , mathematics , physics , demography , paleontology , philosophy , computer network , geometry , epistemology , machine learning , sociology
The stability of consumer–resource systems can depend on the form of feeding interactions (i.e. functional responses). Size‐based models predict interactions – and thus stability – based on consumer–resource size ratios. However, little is known about how interaction contexts (e.g. simple or complex habitats) might alter scaling relationships. Addressing this, we experimentally measured interactions between a large size range of aquatic predators (4–6400 mg over 1347 feeding trials) and an invasive prey that transitions among habitats: from the water column (3D interactions) to simple and complex benthic substrates (2D interactions). Simple and complex substrates mediated successive reductions in capture rates – particularly around the unimodal optimum – and promoted prey population stability in model simulations. Many real consumer–resource systems transition between 2D and 3D interactions, and along complexity gradients. Thus, Context‐Dependent Scaling ( CDS ) of feeding interactions could represent an unrecognised aspect of food webs, and quantifying the extent of CDS might enhance predictive ecology.