Influence of Prey Availability in the Dissimilarity of Predator–Prey Interactions

Abstract

Photo 1. Majority of anurans feed on arthropods, like the Oval Frog (Elachistocleis matogrosso), an ant specialist. Photo credit: Karoline Ceron. Photo 2. But there are some exceptions, such as the Cranwell's horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli), a voracious predator, attempting predation upon a Pigmy Toad (Rhinella bergi) in Brazilian Chaco. Photo credit: Karoline Ceron. Photo 3. Anuran diet can vary throughout space, for example, between ecoregions. Nhecolândia, a subregion of the Pantanal, is characterized by the coexistence of thousands of lakes called baías (freshwater) and salinas (waters of alkaline composition; upper panel), in contrast, the Chaco ecoregion has a flat topography, a semiarid climate, and distinct plant formations (lower panel). Photo credit: Karoline Ceron. Photo 4. Also, the anuran diet can vary throughout time, for example, between seasons. Brazilian Cerrado, a seasonal ecoregion, at the RPPN Estância Mimosa, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, during the rainy season (upper panel) and the dry season (lower panel). Photo credit: Karoline Ceron. Photo 5. Studying these variations in time and space, we found that the dissimilarity of the anuran-prey network between ecoregions and seasons is primarily driven by interaction rewiring, which is determined by the variation in prey availability. A waxy monkey frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii) in the RPPN Estância Mimosa, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Photo credit: Karoline Ceron. These photographs illustrate the article “Differences in prey availability across space and time lead to interaction rewiring and reshape a predator–prey metaweb” by Karoline Ceron, Diogo B. Provete, Mathias M. Pires, Andrea C. Araujo, Nico Blüthgen, and Diego J. Santana published in Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3716