Community Trophic Structure: The Roles of Diet, Body Size, and Activity Time in Vertebrate Predators

Oikos ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl D. Marti ◽  
Karen Steenhof ◽  
Michael N. Kochert ◽  
Jeffrey S. Marks
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Activity Time ◽  
Vertebrate Predators

The role of Spadefoot Toad tadpoles in wetland trophic structure as influenced by environmental and morphological factors

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Ghioca-Robrecht ◽  
L. M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Southern Great Plains ◽  
Larval Amphibians ◽  
Spadefoot Toad ◽  
Spea Bombifrons ◽  
And Function

Larval amphibians reach high densities in playa wetlands in the Southern Great Plains (SGP), USA, and thus may influence the entire structure and function of these ecosystems. We investigated whether both carnivorous and omnivorous morphotypes of Spadefoot Toad tadpoles (New Mexico Spadefoot, Spea multiplicata (Cope, 1863), and Plains Spadefoot, Spea bombifrons (Cope, 1863)) would exhibit a macrophagous feeding behavior that would allow them to occupy several trophic levels in playas. We also compared tadpole diets and foregut widths as influenced by the land use surrounding playas (cultivated versus grassland watersheds), year (dry versus wet year), and body size (snout-to-vent length). Tadpole diets were dominated by detritus and diatoms and tadpole foreguts increased with body size. Generally, more arthropods and less cyanobacteria were found in Spea tadpole diets as tadpoles grew larger, suggesting they influence different trophic levels with age. Foreguts were wider in carnivores than omnivores, suggesting carnivores had increased ability to ingest larger prey. Also, omnivores had wider foreguts in cropland than grassland playas, suggesting they ingest larger food items in cropland playas. From estimates of the amounts of invertebrates, detritus, and algae consumed by Spea tadpoles, we demonstrate that these larvae influence the entire trophic structure of wetland ecosystems.

scholarly journals Shift in a Large River Fish Assemblage: Body-Size and Trophic Structure Dynamics

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. e0124954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle J. Broadway ◽  
Mark Pyron ◽  
James R. Gammon ◽  
Brent A. Murry
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Large River ◽  
Structure Dynamics ◽  
River Fish

scholarly journals Decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic ecosystem

2009 ◽  
Vol 277 (1686) ◽  
pp. 1353-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy L. Shackell ◽  
Kenneth T. Frank ◽  
Jonathan A. D. Fisher ◽  
Brian Petrie ◽  
William C. Leggett
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Top Predator ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Oceanic Ecosystem

scholarly journals Drought intensification alters the composition, body size, and trophic structure of invertebrate assemblages in a stream mesocosm experiment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. H. Aspin ◽  
Kris Hart ◽  
Kieran Khamis ◽  
Alexander M. Milner ◽  
Matthew J. O'Callaghan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Mesocosm Experiment ◽  
Stream Mesocosm ◽  
Invertebrate Assemblages

Increased Mercury and Body Size and Changes in Trophic Structure of Gambusia puncticulata (Poeciliidae) Along the Almendares River, Cuba

2012 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yureidy Cabrera Páez ◽  
Consuelo Aguilar Betancourt ◽  
Gaspar González-Sansón ◽  
Karen A. Kidd ◽  
Kelly R. Munkittrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Trophic Structure

Role of body size in shaping the trophic structure of tropical seabird communities

2014 ◽  
Vol 497 ◽  
pp. 243-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
PL Mancini ◽  
KA Hobson ◽  
L Bugoni
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Trophic Structure
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