Different hunting strategies of generalist predators result in
functional differences

MICHALKO, Radek and Stanislav PEKÁR. Different hunting strategies of generalist predators result in functional differences. Oecologia. 2016, vol. 181, No 4, p. 1187-1197. ISSN 0029-8549. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-016-3631-4.

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TY  - JOUR
ID  - 1357179
AU  - Michalko, Radek - Pekár, Stanislav
PY  - 2016
TI  - Different hunting strategies of generalist predators result in functional differences
JF  - Oecologia
VL  - 181
IS  - 4
SP  - 1187-1197
EP  - 1187-1197
SN  - 00298549
KW  - Functional diversity
KW  - Guilds
KW  - Euryphagy
KW  - Niche
KW  - Spiders
KW  - Araneae
UR  - http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-016-3631-4
L2  - http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-016-3631-4
N2  - The morphological, physiological, and behavioural traits of organisms are often used as surrogates for actual ecological functions. However, differences in these traits do not necessarily lead to functional differences and/or can be context–dependent. Therefore, it is necessary to explicitly test whether the surrogates have general ecological relevance. To investigate the relationship between the hunting strategies of predators (i.e., how, where, and when they hunt) and their function, we used euryphagous spiders as a model group. We used published data on the diet composition of 76 spider species based on natural prey and laboratory prey acceptance experiments. We computed differences in the position and width of trophic niches among pairs of sympatrically occurring species. Pairs were made at different classification levels, ranked according to the dissimilarity in their hunting strategies: congeners, confamiliars (as phylogenetic proxies for similarity in hunting strategy), species from the same main class of hunting strategy, from the same supra-class, and from different supra-classes. As for niche position computed from the natural prey analyses, species from the same class differed less than species from different classes. A similar pattern was obtained from the laboratory studies, but the congeners differed less than the species from the same classes. Niche widths were most similar among congeners and dissimilar among species from different supra-classes. Functional differences among euryphagous spiders increased continuously with increasing difference in their hunting strategy. The relative frequency of hunting strategies within spider assemblages can, therefore, influence the food webs through hunting strategy-specific predator–prey interactions.
ER  -

Basic information
Original name	Different hunting strategies of generalist predators result in functional differences
Authors	MICHALKO, Radek (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution) and Stanislav PEKÁR (703 Slovakia, belonging to the institution).
Edition	Oecologia, 2016, 0029-8549.

Other information
Original language	English
Type of outcome	Article in a journal
Field of Study	10600 1.6 Biological sciences
Country of publisher	United States of America
Confidentiality degree	is not subject to a state or trade secret
WWW	URL
Impact factor	Impact factor: 3.130
RIV identification code	RIV/00216224:14310/16:00091242
Organization unit	Faculty of Science
Doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-016-3631-4
UT WoS	000380282100020
Keywords in English	Functional diversity; Guilds; Euryphagy; Niche; Spiders; Araneae
Tags	AKR, rivok
Changed by	Changed by: Mgr. Lucie Jarošová, DiS., učo 205746. Changed: 6/3/2018 14:41.

Abstract

The morphological, physiological, and behavioural traits of organisms are often used as surrogates for actual ecological functions. However, differences in these traits do not necessarily lead to functional differences and/or can be context–dependent. Therefore, it is necessary to explicitly test whether the surrogates have general ecological relevance. To investigate the relationship between the hunting strategies of predators (i.e., how, where, and when they hunt) and their function, we used euryphagous spiders as a model group. We used published data on the diet composition of 76 spider species based on natural prey and laboratory prey acceptance experiments. We computed differences in the position and width of trophic niches among pairs of sympatrically occurring species. Pairs were made at different classification levels, ranked according to the dissimilarity in their hunting strategies: congeners, confamiliars (as phylogenetic proxies for similarity in hunting strategy), species from the same main class of hunting strategy, from the same supra-class, and from different supra-classes. As for niche position computed from the natural prey analyses, species from the same class differed less than species from different classes. A similar pattern was obtained from the laboratory studies, but the congeners differed less than the species from the same classes. Niche widths were most similar among congeners and dissimilar among species from different supra-classes. Functional differences among euryphagous spiders increased continuously with increasing difference in their hunting strategy. The relative frequency of hunting strategies within spider assemblages can, therefore, influence the food webs through hunting strategy-specific predator–prey interactions.

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Different hunting strategies of generalist predators result in functional differences

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