Duke professor of environmental sciences and codirector of the center for tropical conservation at duke university. Trophic cascades may become apparent when a top predator is eliminated. Predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature 9781597264877. Aug 01, 2011 you can read much more about the effects of trophic downgrading and the importance of apex predators in the book trophic cascades. In fact, the name of this book im looking at here is trophic cascades, edited by john terborgh and james estes. Trophic cascades hardcover predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature. For example, a topdown cascade will occur if predators are effective enough in predation to reduce the abundance, or alter the behavior, of their prey, thereby releasing the next lower trophic level from predation or herbivory if the. One example of predator effects occurs in trophic cascades, where the effects of predators on prey are translated downward and across food webs estes. Sep 15, 2011 in trophic cascades, terborgh and estes go farther, criticizing national science agencies for failing to fund research on predator removal in terrestrial systems, accusing them of clinging to old views and retarding progress while ecosystems are undermined.
Nonetheless, many other important and novel drivers of trophic cascades e. Received 10 march 2006 received in revised form 29 june 2006 accepted 3 july 2006. In the 1920s, the local extinction of the parks population of gray wolves canis lupus through hunting caused an increase in the population of elk cervus elaphus, thereby leading to an overwhelming drop in the abundance of numerous plants. Terborgh is at his best writing about science and explaining the intricacies of tropical ecology, as when he describes the slow but insidious effects of habitat fragmentation, trophic cascades and the like.
Fear of large carnivores causes a trophic cascade nature. The group has now produced an authoritative volume on the subject entitled trophic cascades, to be published in 2010 by island press and coedited by drs. Trophic cascades from wolves to alders in yellowstone. On my bookshelf i have an original edition of aldo leopolds 1933 classic game management. A notable example of this topdown ecological interaction was observed in yellowstone national park in the western united states. You can read much more about the effects of trophic downgrading and the importance of apex predators in the book trophic cascades. Trophic cascades are powerful indirect interactions that can control entire ecosystems, occurring when a trophic level in a food web is suppressed. A trophic cascade often results in dramatic changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling. However, the cascade forces us to look at the traditional food chain from a different perspective.
Pdf on aug 1, 2011, klaus birkhofer and others published trophic cascades. Linking a cougar decline, trophic cascade, and catastrophic regime shift in zion national park william j. Trophic cascadesthe topdown regulation of ecosystems. Greene, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. Author contact information and data for front of the book. A series of changes in the population sizes of organisms at different trophic levels in a food chain, occurring when predators at high trophic levels indirectly promote populations of organisms at low trophic levels by keeping species at intermediate trophic levels in check.
Trophic cascades are indirect effects mediated through consumerresource interactions, p. Apr 20, 2010 trophic cascades hardcover predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature. Trophic cascades are often drastically disrupted by human interventionsfor example, when wolves and cougars are removed, allowing deer and beaver to become destructiveyet have only recently begun to be considered in the developmof conservation and. The idea that plants are affected by the things that eat them, estes says. Trophic cascades are often drastically disrupted by human interventionsfor example, when wolves and cougars are removed, allowing deer and beaver to become destructiveyet have only recently begun to be considered in the developmof.
This book is the first comprehensive compendium on trophic cascades and how they operate in the worlds major ecosystems. Trophic cascades and caughleys declining population syndrome this lecture discusses graeme caughleys enigmatic declining population syndrome in the light of trophic cascades. Apr 20, 2010 trophic cascadesthe topdown regulation of ecosystems by predatorsare an essential aspect of ecosystem function and wellbeing. Paine some effects of apex predators in higherlatitude coastal oceans james a. The concept and evidence for trophic cascades is welldocumented from mesocosm studies and experiments conducted in simple terrestrial and marine systems 1,2,3,4. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Predators, prey and the changing dynamics of nature. Nhbs john terborgh, james a estes, ellen k pikitch, island press. Linking a cougar decline, trophic cascade, and catastrophic. The topdown trophic cascade model predicts that changes in density at one trophic level are caused by opposite changes in the next higher trophic level and that such inverse correlations cascade down a food chain, p. John terborgh, who has worked in the peruvian amazon since 1973, is research professor in the nicholas school of the environment and earth sciences at duke and director of its center for tropical conservation.
Predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature kindle edition by john terborgh, james a estes. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading trophic cascades. Predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature, edited by john terborgh and jim estes, published by island press in 2010. Trophic cascades are often drastically disrupted by human interventionsfor example, when wolves and cougars are removed, allowing deer and beaver to become destructiveyet have only recently begun to be considered in the development of. Trophic cascades are often drastically disrupted by human interventionsfor example, when wolves and cougars are removed, allowing deer and beaver to become destructiveyet have only recently begun to be considered in the development of conservation and. Predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature. This book is the first comprehensive compendium on trophic cascades and how they operate in. He begins to talk in generalities when discussing conservation issues that spill into the social arena. After all, it is not topdown or bottomup, but some interaction between the two. Trophic cascade, an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators and involving reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through a food chain. Trophic cascades are often drastically disrupted by human interventionsfor example, when wolves and cougars are removed, allowing deer and beaver to become destructiveyet have only recently begun to be considered in the development of conservation and management. Now, how i came into possession of this seminal volume in applied ecology might be considered unethical by some.
Trophic cascades john terborgh, james a estes haftad. Paine, originator of the term trophic cascades, conducted an early experiment showing that predators have effects that permeate food webs from the top down. Trophic cascades the topdown regulation of ecosystems by predatorsare an essential aspect of ecosystem function and wellbeing. Contributors describe consequences of predatorprey interactions, behavioral responses of fishes, diel vertical migration of zooplankton, plankton.
Estes have sought to reinforce and solidify the argument for topdown control with their book, trophic cascades. In trophic cascades, terborgh and estes go farther, criticizing national science agencies for failing to fund research on predator removal in terrestrial systems, accusing them of clinging to old views and retarding progress while ecosystems are undermined. Trophic cascades paperback predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature. The term trophic refers to the different levels of a food chain with plants being one trophic level, insects the next, all the way up the ladder to midlevel and top predators.
Trophic cascadesthe topdown regulation of ecosystems by predatorsare an essential aspect of ecosystem function and wellbeing. In this book, a multidisciplinary research team tests this idea by manipulating whole lakes experimentally, and coordinating this with paleolimnological studies, simulation modeling, and smallscale enclosure experiments. Trophic cascades ebook by john terborgh rakuten kobo. And it probably is the finest work yet available on describing these interactions and the importance they have for landscape. Trophic cascades are often drastically disrupted by human interventionsfor example, when wolves and cougars are removed, allowing deer and beaver to become destructiveyet have only recently begun to be considered in the development of conservation. Trophic cascades are often drastically disrupted by human interventionsfor example, when wolves and cougars are removed, allowing deer and beaver to become destructiveyet have only recently begun to be considered in the. The nature and importance of trophic cascades in global. Predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature kindle edition by terborgh, john, estes, james a. This collection of chapters by leading scientists with either aquatic or terrestrial expertise offers convincing evidence for the existence of topdown. Trophic cascades is natural history at its best, outstanding science in the service of conserving the diversity of life on earth. Predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature by john terborgh, john terborgh, james a. Estes food chain dynamics and trophic cascades in intertidal habitats robert t.
The conceptual foundation for topdown forcing and trophic cascades is rooted in a landmark paper published by hairston and colleagues 1960. Beschta college of forestry, oregon state university, forest resources, corvallis, or 97331, united states article info article history. It is the first wellwritten and comprehensive book about this. Estes, 2010 island press, washingtondc on my bookshelf i have an original edition of aldo leopolds 1933 classic game management. Trophic cascades goodreads meet your next favorite book. Our purpose in organizing this book was to elevate biotic forcing in ecology to. The removal of large carnivores from much of the world has had diverse ecological effects, often revealed through unexpected and complex interactions terborgh and estes, 2010, ripple et al. He has devoted much of the past 35 years to issues concerning the ecology and conservation of neotropical systems. Being at the top of the food chain, large carnivores can play a dual role in structuring ecosystems by affecting both large herbivores and mesocarnivores, causing both tritrophic cascades. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means.
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