La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Effects of bird predation on arthropod abundance and tree growth across an elevational gradient
Auteurs :	W. Scott Schwenk, Auteur ; Allan M. Strong, Auteur ; T. Scott Sillett, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Journal of Avian Biology (41(4) JUL 2010)
Article en page(s) :	367-377
Langues:	Anglais
Résumé :	Considerable uncertainty surrounds the conditions under which birds can cause trophic cascades. In a three-year experiment, we studied the direct and indirect effects of insectivorous birds on arthropod abundance, herbivory, and growth of striped maple Acer pensylvanicum saplings in a northern hardwood forest of central New Hampshire, USA. We manipulated bird predation by erecting exclosures around saplings and directly manipulated herbivory by removing herbivores. We also examined how climate modifies these interactions by replicating the experiment at three locations along an elevational gradient. Effects of bird predation were variable. Overall, mean arthropod biomass was 20% greater on saplings within bird exclosures than on controls (p

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