Effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo woodland

As top predators, birds may have significant effects on arthropod abundances and affect the trophic structure of arthropod communities through predation of lower order predators (e.g. spiders) and by competition for prey. We investigated the effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in south-we...

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Main Authors: Majer, Jonathan, Recher, H. F.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2006
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47381
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author Majer, Jonathan
Recher, H. F.
author_facet Majer, Jonathan
Recher, H. F.
author_sort Majer, Jonathan
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description As top predators, birds may have significant effects on arthropod abundances and affect the trophic structure of arthropod communities through predation of lower order predators (e.g. spiders) and by competition for prey. We investigated the effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in south-western Australia by using plastic bird mesh to exclude insectivorous birds from the foliage of wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo saplings. Exclosure resulted in an increase in the number of herbivorous and predatory arthropods. Total arthropods (with and without ants), spiders, adult Coleoptera, and larval Lepidoptera were significantly more abundant on meshed than unmeshed saplings. All size-classes of arthropods, taxa grouped, were more abundant on meshed than unmeshed saplings, but with no evidence of a disproportionate increase of the largest arthropods on meshed saplings.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-473812017-09-13T15:57:06Z Effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo woodland Majer, Jonathan Recher, H. F. As top predators, birds may have significant effects on arthropod abundances and affect the trophic structure of arthropod communities through predation of lower order predators (e.g. spiders) and by competition for prey. We investigated the effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in south-western Australia by using plastic bird mesh to exclude insectivorous birds from the foliage of wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo saplings. Exclosure resulted in an increase in the number of herbivorous and predatory arthropods. Total arthropods (with and without ants), spiders, adult Coleoptera, and larval Lepidoptera were significantly more abundant on meshed than unmeshed saplings. All size-classes of arthropods, taxa grouped, were more abundant on meshed than unmeshed saplings, but with no evidence of a disproportionate increase of the largest arthropods on meshed saplings. 2006 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47381 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2006.01555.x restricted
spellingShingle Majer, Jonathan
Recher, H. F.
Effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo woodland
title Effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo woodland
title_full Effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo woodland
title_fullStr Effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo woodland
title_full_unstemmed Effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo woodland
title_short Effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in wandoo Eucalyptus wandoo woodland
title_sort effects of bird predation on canopy arthropods in wandoo eucalyptus wandoo woodland
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47381