Introduced predators transform subarctic islands from grassland to tundra

被引:376
作者
Croll, DA [1 ]
Maron, JL
Estes, JA
Danner, EM
Byrd, GV
机构
[1] Univ Calif Santa Cruz, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA
[2] Univ Montana, Div Biol Sci, Missoula, MT 59812 USA
[3] US Geol Survey, Western Ecol Res Ctr, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA
[4] US Fish & Wildlife Serv, Homer, AK 99603 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1126/science.1108485
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Top predators often have powerful direct effects on prey populations, but whether these direct effects propagate to the base of terrestrial food webs is debated. There are few examples of trophic cascades strong enough to alter the abundance and composition of entire plant communities. We show that the introduction of arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) to the Aleutian archipelago induced strong shifts in plant productivity and community structure via a previously unknown pathway. By preying on seabirds, foxes reduced nutrient transport from ocean to land, affecting soil fertility and transforming grasslands to dwarf shrub/forb-dominated ecosystems.
引用
收藏
页码:1959 / 1961
页数:3
相关论文
共 24 条
[1]  
[Anonymous], 2004, FOOD WEBS LANDSCAPE
[2]  
BYRD GV, 1994, T N AM WILDL NAT RES, P317
[3]  
Carpenter S. R., 1993, Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, V74, P186
[4]   RESPONSES OF ARCTIC TUNDRA TO EXPERIMENTAL AND OBSERVED CHANGES IN CLIMATE [J].
CHAPIN, FS ;
SHAVER, GR ;
GIBLIN, AE ;
NADELHOFFER, KJ ;
LAUNDRE, JA .
ECOLOGY, 1995, 76 (03) :694-711
[5]  
COUNCIL NR, 1996, BERING SEA ECOSYSTEM
[6]   Stable isotopes in plant ecology [J].
Dawson, TE ;
Mambelli, S ;
Plamboeck, AH ;
Templer, PH ;
Tu, KP .
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY AND SYSTEMATICS, 2002, 33 :507-559
[7]   Subantarctic Macquarie Island -: a model ecosystem for studying animal-derived nitrogen sources using 15N natural abundance [J].
Erskine, PD ;
Bergstrom, DM ;
Schmidt, S ;
Stewart, GR ;
Tweedie, CE ;
Shaw, JD .
OECOLOGIA, 1998, 117 (1-2) :187-193
[8]   FOOD-CHAIN DYNAMICS - THE CENTRAL THEORY OF ECOLOGY [J].
FRETWELL, SD .
OIKOS, 1987, 50 (03) :291-301
[9]   COMMUNITY STRUCTURE, POPULATION CONTROL, AND COMPETITION [J].
HAIRSTON, NG ;
SMITH, FE ;
SLOBODKIN, LB .
AMERICAN NATURALIST, 1960, 94 (879) :421-425
[10]   Impact of a detrital subsidy on trophic cascades in a terrestrial grazing food web [J].
Halaj, J ;
Wise, DH .
ECOLOGY, 2002, 83 (11) :3141-3151