Medium-sized exotic prey create novel food webs: the case of predators and scavengers consuming lagomorphs.

ABSTRACT: Food web interactions are key to community structure. The introduction of species can be seen as an uncontrolled experiment of the addition of species. Introduced species lead to multiple changes, frequently threatening the native biodiversity. However, little is known about their direct effect on the upper level of the food web. In this study we review empirical data on the predator-prey relationship between the introduced lagomorphs and their consumers, and use meta-analytical tools to quantify the strength of their interactions. We expect that exotic lagomorphs will destabilize food webs, affect ecological processes and compromise the conservation of the invaded regions. We found 156 studies on the diet of 43 species of predators that consume lagomorphs as exotic preys in South America

SUBMITTER: Barbar F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4974932 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature