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Prey vs predator labs ib biology3/31/2024 ![]() ![]() As conspecifics share the same resource requirements (i.e. One important feature of generalist predators that may strongly shape food web structure is intraguild predation (IGP ), by which potential competitors that share prey kill and consume each other. The relatively wide diet of generalist predators can greatly shape the structure of food webs and the subsequent dynamics of these widespread ecological networks. (a) Food web structure, robustness and stability I argue that explicitly considering genetic variation of traits within populations can serve to link the preservation of variation in populations to the preservation of entire ecological networks and metacommunities. I use simple computer simulations to document the potential effect of trait variation on food web structure and provide a framework for future research. ![]() In this paper, I propose a series of traits whose variation has the potential to affect food web structure, and provide a series of ideas for how these structural changes could affect food web dynamics, as well as the robustness and the stability of these ecological networks. In particular, how within-population genetic variation in traits that affect predator–prey interactions could determine food web structure in ways that could enhance its robustness and stability, is largely unknown. However, the ecological consequences of these polymorphisms have rarely been studied (but see ). Trophic polymorphisms are widespread, for instance, among fish and this polymorphic variation may be genetically driven. However, beyond rapid evolution, there is almost no information on how genetic ariation in predator traits affects food web dynamics at ecological time scales. For instance, genetic variation and rapid adaptive evolution can dampen population fluctuations in predator–prey systems. Predator–prey interactions are central in understanding the mechanisms behind food web dynamics, and genetic variation in both predators and prey could largely explain these dynamics. However, research on how, and whether, genetic variation within predator populations affects ecological processes is greatly needed.įood webs are networks of interacting species that feed on each other. One exceptional study, however, focused on genetic variation in a ladybird predator, and how an indirect effect of plants mediated by the ladybird's prey (aphids) could affect the phenotype and performance of different ladybird genotypes, demonstrating genetic variation in the response of ladybird traits to an indirect ecological (bottom-up) effect. ![]() ![]() Usually, when community genetics studies extend beyond one trophic level, these focus on how genetic variation among herbivores or their host plants affects herbivore performance or on the bottom-up effects of plant genetic variation on herbivore and predatory arthropods ( reviewed in ). If appropriately established, such a link could have important consequences for biological conservation, as it would imply that preserving (functional) genetic variation within populations could ensure the preservation of entire communities.Ĭommunity genetics addresses the question of how, and to what extent, within-population genetic variation may affect ecological processes, including the outcome of interactions among species. I propose future research to help establish a link between within-population variation and food web structure. Furthermore, trait variation could also contribute to the stability of food web modules through metacommunity dynamics. I discuss other relevant traits whose variation could affect the structure of food webs, such as morphological and additional life-history traits, as well as animal personalities. Here, I show via simulation how variation in two key traits, growth rates and phenology, by influencing the variability of body sizes present through time, can potentially affect several structural parameters in the direction of enhancing food web persistence: increased connectance, decreased interaction strengths, increased variation among interaction strengths and increased degree of omnivory. The role that within-population phenotypic and genetic variation plays in food web structure is largely unknown. Food webs are networks of species that feed on each other. ![]()
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