@article{BauerVosKlauschiesetal.2014,
  author    = {Bauer, Barbara and Vos, Matthijs and Klauschies, Toni and Gaedke, Ursula},
  title     = {Diversity, functional similarity, and top-down control drive synchronization and the reliability of ecosystem function},
  series = {The American naturalist : a bi-monthly journal devoted to the advancement and correlation of the biological sciences},
  volume    = {183},
  journal   = {The American naturalist : a bi-monthly journal devoted to the advancement and correlation of the biological sciences},
  number    = {3},
  publisher = {Univ. of Chicago Press},
  address   = {Chicago},
  issn      = {0003-0147},
  doi       = {10.1086/674906},
  pages     = {394 -- 409},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {The concept that diversity promotes reliability of ecosystem function depends on the pattern that community-level biomass shows lower temporal variability than species-level biomasses. However, this pattern is not universal, as it relies on compensatory or independent species dynamics. When in contrast within--trophic level synchronization occurs, variability of community biomass will approach population-level variability. Current knowledge fails to integrate how species richness, functional distance between species, and the relative importance of predation and competition combine to drive synchronization at different trophic levels. Here we clarify these mechanisms. Intense competition promotes compensatory dynamics in prey, but predators may at the same time increasingly synchronize, under increasing species richness and functional similarity. In contrast, predators and prey both show perfect synchronization under strong top-down control, which is promoted by a combination of low functional distance and high net growth potential of predators. Under such conditions, community-level biomass variability peaks, with major negative consequences for reliability of ecosystem function.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SeifertdeCastroMarquartetal.2014,
  author    = {Seifert, Linda I. and de Castro, Francisco and Marquart, Arnim and Gaedke, Ursula and Weithoff, Guntram and Vos, Matthijs},
  title     = {Heated relations: temperature-mediated shifts in consumption across trophic levels},
  series = {PLoS one},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {PLoS one},
  number    = {5},
  publisher = {PLoS},
  address   = {San Fransisco},
  issn      = {1932-6203},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0095046},
  pages     = {7},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {A rise in temperature will intensify the feeding links involving ectotherms in food webs. However, it is unclear how the effects will quantitatively differ between the plant-herbivore and herbivore-carnivore interface. To test how warming could differentially affect rates of herbivory and carnivory, we studied trophic interaction strength in a food chain comprised of green algae, herbivorous rotifers and carnivorous rotifers at 10, 15, 20 and 25 degrees C. We found significant warming-induced changes in feeding by both herbivorous and carnivorous rotifers, but these responses occurred at different parts of the entire temperature gradient. The strongest response of the per capita herbivore's ingestion rate occurred due to an increase in temperature from 15 to 20 degrees C (1.9 fold: from 834 to 1611 algal cells per h(-1)) and of the per capita carnivore's ingestion rate from 20 to 25 degrees C (1.6 fold: from 1.5 to 2.5 prey h(-1)). Handling time, an important component of a consumer's functional response, significantly decreased from 15 to 20 degrees C in herbivorous rotifers. In contrast, it decreased from 20 to 25 degrees C in carnivorous rotifers. Attack rates significantly and strongly increased from 10 to 25 degrees C in the herbivorous animals, but not at all in the carnivores. Our results exemplify how the relative forces of top-down control exerted by herbivores and carnivores may strongly shift under global warming. But warming, and its magnitude, are not the only issue: If our results would prove to be representative, shifts in ectotherm interactions will quantitatively differ when a 5 degrees C increase starts out from a low, intermediate or high initial temperature. This would imply that warming could have different effects on the relative forces of carnivory and herbivory in habitats differing in average temperature, as would exist at different altitudes and latitudes.},
  language  = {en}
}