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Climate warming strengthens indirect interactions in an old‐field food web
Author(s) -
Barton Brandon T.,
Beckerman Andrew P.,
Schmitz Oswald J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/08-2254.1
Subject(s) - trophic level , food web , ecology , climate change , forb , herbivore , precipitation , environmental science , herbaceous plant , primary production , ecosystem , biology , grassland , geography , meteorology
Climate change is expected to alter trophic interactions within food chains, but predicting the fate of particular species is difficult because the predictions hinge on knowing exactly how climate influences direct and indirect interactions. We used two complementary approaches to examine how climate change may alter trophic interactions within an old‐field food web composed of herbaceous plants, grasshopper herbivores, and spider predators. We synthesized data spanning 15 years of experimentation during which interannual mean growing season temperature varied by 2°C and precipitation by 2.5 cm. We also manipulated temperature within mesocosms to test the affect of temperature on primary production and strength of direct and indirect trophic interactions. Both approaches produced similar results: plant production was not directly affected by temperature or precipitation, but the strength of top‐down indirect effects on grasses and forbs increased by 30–40% per 1°C. Hence, the net effect of climate change was to strengthen top‐down control of this terrestrial system.