INVESTIGADORES
ADDINO Mariana Del Sol
artículos
Título:
Interaction strength varies in relation to tidal gradient and spatial heterogeneity in an intertidal Southwest Atlantic estuarine food web
Autor/es:
ALVAREZ F.; MONTEMAYOR, D.I.; BAZTERRICA C.; ADDINO, M.; FANJUL E.; IRIBARNE O.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
Editorial:
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
Referencias:
Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2013 p. 154 - 164
ISSN:
0022-0981
Resumen:
Interaction strength is a key component in food-web dynamics being
highly variable over time and space, depending on biotic and abiotic
conditions. Intertidal soft bottom ecosystems are essential nursery and
feeding sites for migratory shorebirds and marine fishes, which in turn
affect infaunal assemblage and the food web dynamic. In these systems,
organisms that modify the resource availability to other species (i.e.
burrowing crabs) are expected to have significant consequences on
infauna distribution and the interactions among organisms. Here we
simultaneously evaluated the interaction strength of birds and fishes on
infaunal prey in areas with and without crab bioturbation. Field
experiments showed weak predator?prey interactions of both predators;
however, birds exerted high impact on meiofauna inside bioturbated areas
during the warm season. Moreover, the effect of fishes differed
depending on bioturbation and another factor such as climatic events
(e.g. El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)). Thus, our results suggest
that interaction strength of birds and fishes on prey are context
dependent, varying between different areas, tidal time exposition, ENSO
episode and seasons. Also, our results exemplify how the outcome of
predator?prey interaction strength can depend on other factors such as
the activity of other species that modify the environment.