Omnivorous ants are less carnivorous and more protein-limited in exotic plantations.
ants
ecosystem functions
food exploitation
macronutrient limitation
omnivores
plantations
trophic interactions
tropical forests
Journal
The Journal of animal ecology
ISSN: 1365-2656
Titre abrégé: J Anim Ecol
Pays: England
ID NLM: 0376574
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
08 2020
08 2020
Historique:
received:
28
08
2019
accepted:
27
04
2020
pubmed:
8
5
2020
medline:
20
3
2021
entrez:
8
5
2020
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Diets of species are crucial in determining how they influence food webs and community structures, and how their populations are regulated by different bottom-up processes. Omnivores are able to adjust their diet flexibly according to environmental conditions, such that their impacts on food webs and communities, and the macronutrients constraining their population, can be plastic. In particular, omnivore diets are known to be influenced by prey availability, which exhibits high spatial and temporal variation. To examine the plasticity of diet and macronutrient limitation in omnivores, we compared trophic positions, macronutrient preferences and food exploitation rates of omnivorous ants in invertebrate-rich (secondary forests) and invertebrate-poor (Lophostemon confertus plantations) habitats. We hypothesized that omnivorous ants would have lower trophic positions, enhanced protein limitation and reduced food exploitation rates in L. confertus plantations relative to secondary forests. We performed cafeteria experiments to examine changes in macronutrient limitation and food exploitation rates. We also sampled ants and conducted stable isotope analyses to investigate dietary shifts between these habitats. We found that conspecific ants were less carnivorous and had higher preferences for protein-rich food in L. confertus plantations compared to secondary forests. However, ant assemblages did not exhibit increased preferences for protein-rich food in L. confertus plantations. At the species-level, food exploitation rates varied idiosyncratically between habitats. At the assemblage-level, food exploitation rates were reduced in L. confertus plantations. Our results reveal that plantation establishments alter the diet and foraging behaviour of omnivorous ants. Such changes suggest that omnivorous ants in plantations will have reduced top-down impacts on prey communities but also see an increased importance of protein as a bottom-up force in constraining omnivore population sizes.
Identifiants
pubmed: 32379899
doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.13249
doi:
Banques de données
Dryad
['10.5061/dryad.wstqjq2hk']
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
1941-1951Informations de copyright
© 2020 British Ecological Society.
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