Seed predation increases from the Arctic to the Equator and from high to low elevations

A. L. Hargreaves; Esteban Suárez; Klaus Mehltreter; Isla Myers-Smith; Sula E. Vanderplank; Heather L. Slinn; Yalma L. Vargas-Rodriguez; Sybille Haeussler; Santiago David; Jenny Muñoz; R. Carlos Almazán-Núñez; Deirdre Loughnan; John W. Benning; David A. Moeller; Jedediah F. Brodie; Haydn J.D. Thomas; P. A. Morales

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aau4403

Seed predation increases from the Arctic to the Equator and from high to low elevations

A. L. Hargreaves, Esteban Suárez, Klaus Mehltreter, Isla Myers-Smith, Sula E. Vanderplank, Heather L. Slinn, Yalma L. Vargas-Rodriguez, Sybille Haeussler, Santiago David, Jenny Muñoz, R. Carlos Almazán-Núñez, Deirdre Loughnan, John W. Benning, David A. Moeller, Jedediah F. Brodie, Haydn J.D. Thomas, P. A. Morales

Plant and Microbial Biology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Species interactions have long been predicted to increase in intensity toward the tropics and low elevations because of gradients in climate, productivity, or biodiversity. Despite their importance for understanding global ecological and evolutionary processes, plant-animal interaction gradients are particularly difficult to test systematically across large geographic gradients, and evidence from smaller, disparate studies is inconclusive. By systematically measuring postdispersal seed predation using 6995 standardized seed depots along 18 mountains in the Pacific cordillera, we found that seed predation increases by 17% from the Arctic to the Equator and by 17% from 4000 meters above sea level to sea level. Clines in total predation, likely driven by invertebrates, were consistent across treeline ecotones and within continuous forest and were better explained by climate seasonality than by productivity, biodiversity, or latitude. These results suggest that species interactions play predictably greater ecological and evolutionary roles in tropical, lowland, and other less seasonal ecosystems.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	eaau4403
Journal	Science Advances
Volume	5
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau4403
State	Published - Feb 20 2019

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank C. Muir, V. Vásquez Reyes, S. Tremor, C. García-Jiménez, L. Bolin, J. Godlee, S. Angers-Blondin, J. Tolome, P. Sierra, H. Branch, J. Boyle, S. Lehtonen, C. Cosgrove, M. Little, L. Dyer, H. Barios, J. Assmann, and S. Chimbolema for help with fieldwork; A. Davis for help with structural equation modeling; and G. Langston for help with mapping. We thank G. Suarez of Fundación Colibrí, who passed away in 2017, for helping us establish sites in La Mesenia-Paramillo Reserve, Colombia. We acknowledge the Kluane First Nation, Gitdumden Clan of the Wet’suwet’en, Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Tübatulabal, Kumeyaay, Kiliwa, Voto, Emberá-Chamí, and other indigenous peoples on whose traditional territory this field work was carried out. Funding: This work was supported by a UBC Biodiversity Research Grant (A.L.H.), INECOL (proy. 20030-10796 to K.M.), an Universidad San Francisco de Quito Collaboration Grant (E.S.), NSF (grant DEB-1442103 to L. Dyer), and the San Diego Natural History Museum (to S. Tremor).

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Hargreaves, A. L., Suárez, E., Mehltreter, K., Myers-Smith, I., Vanderplank, S. E., Slinn, H. L., Vargas-Rodriguez, Y. L., Haeussler, S., David, S., Muñoz, J., Almazán-Núñez, R. C., Loughnan, D., Benning, J. W., Moeller, D. A., Brodie, J. F., Thomas, H. J. D., & Morales, P. A. (2019). Seed predation increases from the Arctic to the Equator and from high to low elevations. Science Advances, 5(2), [eaau4403]. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau4403

Seed predation increases from the Arctic to the Equator and from high to low elevations. / Hargreaves, A. L.; Suárez, Esteban; Mehltreter, Klaus; Myers-Smith, Isla; Vanderplank, Sula E.; Slinn, Heather L.; Vargas-Rodriguez, Yalma L.; Haeussler, Sybille; David, Santiago; Muñoz, Jenny; Almazán-Núñez, R. Carlos; Loughnan, Deirdre; Benning, John W.; Moeller, David A.; Brodie, Jedediah F.; Thomas, Haydn J.D.; Morales, P. A.

In: Science Advances, Vol. 5, No. 2, eaau4403, 20.02.2019.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Hargreaves, AL, Suárez, E, Mehltreter, K, Myers-Smith, I, Vanderplank, SE, Slinn, HL, Vargas-Rodriguez, YL, Haeussler, S, David, S, Muñoz, J, Almazán-Núñez, RC, Loughnan, D, Benning, JW, Moeller, DA, Brodie, JF, Thomas, HJD & Morales, PA 2019, 'Seed predation increases from the Arctic to the Equator and from high to low elevations', Science Advances, vol. 5, no. 2, eaau4403. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau4403

Hargreaves, A. L. ; Suárez, Esteban ; Mehltreter, Klaus ; Myers-Smith, Isla ; Vanderplank, Sula E. ; Slinn, Heather L. ; Vargas-Rodriguez, Yalma L. ; Haeussler, Sybille ; David, Santiago ; Muñoz, Jenny ; Almazán-Núñez, R. Carlos ; Loughnan, Deirdre ; Benning, John W. ; Moeller, David A. ; Brodie, Jedediah F. ; Thomas, Haydn J.D. ; Morales, P. A. / Seed predation increases from the Arctic to the Equator and from high to low elevations. In: Science Advances. 2019 ; Vol. 5, No. 2.

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title = "Seed predation increases from the Arctic to the Equator and from high to low elevations",

abstract = "Species interactions have long been predicted to increase in intensity toward the tropics and low elevations because of gradients in climate, productivity, or biodiversity. Despite their importance for understanding global ecological and evolutionary processes, plant-animal interaction gradients are particularly difficult to test systematically across large geographic gradients, and evidence from smaller, disparate studies is inconclusive. By systematically measuring postdispersal seed predation using 6995 standardized seed depots along 18 mountains in the Pacific cordillera, we found that seed predation increases by 17% from the Arctic to the Equator and by 17% from 4000 meters above sea level to sea level. Clines in total predation, likely driven by invertebrates, were consistent across treeline ecotones and within continuous forest and were better explained by climate seasonality than by productivity, biodiversity, or latitude. These results suggest that species interactions play predictably greater ecological and evolutionary roles in tropical, lowland, and other less seasonal ecosystems.",

author = "Hargreaves, {A. L.} and Esteban Su{\'a}rez and Klaus Mehltreter and Isla Myers-Smith and Vanderplank, {Sula E.} and Slinn, {Heather L.} and Vargas-Rodriguez, {Yalma L.} and Sybille Haeussler and Santiago David and Jenny Mu{\~n}oz and Almaz{\'a}n-N{\'u}{\~n}ez, {R. Carlos} and Deirdre Loughnan and Benning, {John W.} and Moeller, {David A.} and Brodie, {Jedediah F.} and Thomas, {Haydn J.D.} and Morales, {P. A.}",

note = "Funding Information: We thank C. Muir, V. V{\'a}squez Reyes, S. Tremor, C. Garc{\'i}a-Jim{\'e}nez, L. Bolin, J. Godlee, S. Angers-Blondin, J. Tolome, P. Sierra, H. Branch, J. Boyle, S. Lehtonen, C. Cosgrove, M. Little, L. Dyer, H. Barios, J. Assmann, and S. Chimbolema for help with fieldwork; A. Davis for help with structural equation modeling; and G. Langston for help with mapping. We thank G. Suarez of Fundaci{\'o}n Colibr{\'i}, who passed away in 2017, for helping us establish sites in La Mesenia-Paramillo Reserve, Colombia. We acknowledge the Kluane First Nation, Gitdumden Clan of the Wet{\textquoteright}suwet{\textquoteright}en, Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, T{\"u}batulabal, Kumeyaay, Kiliwa, Voto, Ember{\'a}-Cham{\'i}, and other indigenous peoples on whose traditional territory this field work was carried out. Funding: This work was supported by a UBC Biodiversity Research Grant (A.L.H.), INECOL (proy. 20030-10796 to K.M.), an Universidad San Francisco de Quito Collaboration Grant (E.S.), NSF (grant DEB-1442103 to L. Dyer), and the San Diego Natural History Museum (to S. Tremor).",

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AU - Hargreaves, A. L.

AU - Suárez, Esteban

AU - Mehltreter, Klaus

AU - Myers-Smith, Isla

AU - Vanderplank, Sula E.

AU - Slinn, Heather L.

AU - Vargas-Rodriguez, Yalma L.

AU - Haeussler, Sybille

AU - David, Santiago

AU - Muñoz, Jenny

AU - Almazán-Núñez, R. Carlos

AU - Loughnan, Deirdre

AU - Benning, John W.

AU - Moeller, David A.

AU - Brodie, Jedediah F.

AU - Thomas, Haydn J.D.

AU - Morales, P. A.

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