Spider foraging strategy affects trophic cascades under natural and drought conditions

• DOI: 10.1038/srep12396
• Publication Date: 2015-07-23T09:05:44Z
• Authors: Shengjie Liu; Jin Chen; Wenjin Gan; Douglas Schaefer; Jianmin Gan; Xiaodong Yang
• Keywords: Trophic cascade; Detritus; Litter; Plant litter; Microcosm

Abstract Spiders can cause trophic cascades affecting litter decomposition rates. However, it remains unclear how spiders with different foraging strategies influence faunal communities, or present cascading effects on decomposition. Furthermore, increased dry periods predicted in future climates will likely have important consequences for interactions detritus-based food webs. We investigated independent and interactive of spider predation drought a tropical forest floor. manipulated densities dominant actively hunting sit-and-wait microcosms which mimicked the tropical-forest found positive cascade was triggered by under ambient rainfall, but did not this. The treatment reversed effect Under conditions, we observed negative all three treatments. Thus, reduced rainfall alter predator-induced indirect lower levels ecosystem processes is an example such changes may webs forests.