DOI: 10.1111/ele.13473
论文题名: A native apex predator limits an invasive mesopredator and protects native prey: Tasmanian devils protecting bandicoots from cats
作者: Cunningham C.X. ; Johnson C.N. ; Jones M.E.
刊名: Ecology Letters
ISSN: 1461023X
出版年: 2020
卷: 23, 期: 4 起始页码: 711
结束页码: 721
语种: 英语
中文关键词: Apex predator
; disease
; evolutionary naivete
; feral cat
; invasive species
; mesopredator release
; structural equation modelling
; trophic cascade
英文关键词: Peramelidae
; Sarcophilus harrisii
; Vertebrata
; animal
; biodiversity
; cat
; ecosystem
; food chain
; marsupial
; population dynamics
; predation
; Animals
; Biodiversity
; Cats
; Ecosystem
; Food Chain
; Marsupialia
; Population Dynamics
; Predatory Behavior
英文摘要: Apex predators can limit the abundance and behaviour of mesopredators, thereby reducing predation on smaller species. We know less about whether native apex predators are effective in suppressing invasive mesopredators, a major global driver of vertebrate extinctions. We use the severe disease-induced decline of an apex predator, the Tasmanian devil, as a natural experiment to test whether devils limit abundance of invasive feral cats and in turn protect smaller native prey. Cat abundance was c. 58% higher where devils had declined, which in turn negatively affected a smaller native prey species. Devils had a stronger limiting effect on cats than on a native mesopredator, suggesting apex predators may have stronger suppressive effects on evolutionarily naive species than coevolved species. Our results highlight how disease in one species can affect the broader ecosystem. We show that apex predators not only regulate native species but can also confer resistance to the impacts of invasive populations. Apex predators could therefore be a powerful but underutilised tool to prevent biodiversity loss. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS Citation statistics:
资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/166610
Appears in Collections: 气候变化与战略
There are no files associated with this item.
作者单位: School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
Recommended Citation:
Cunningham C.X.,Johnson C.N.,Jones M.E.. A native apex predator limits an invasive mesopredator and protects native prey: Tasmanian devils protecting bandicoots from cats[J]. Ecology Letters,2020-01-01,23(4)