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Global predation pressure redistribution under future climate change

Nature Climate Change volume 8, pages 1087–1091 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

How climate affects biotic interactions is a question of urgent concern1,2,3. Theory predicts that biotic interactions are stronger at lower latitudes4,5,6. However, the role of climate in governing these patterns is typically assumed, rather than explicitly tested. Here, we dissected the influence of climatic descriptors on predation pressure using data from a global experiment with model caterpillars. We then used projections of future climate change to predict shifts in predation pressure. Climate, particularly components of temperature, explained latitudinal and elevational patterns of predation better than latitude or elevation by themselves. Projected predation pressure was greater under higher temperatures and more stable climates. Increased climatic instability projected for the near future predicts a general decrease in predation pressure over time. By identifying the current climatic drivers of global patterns in a key biotic interaction, we show how shifts in these drivers could alter the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and their associated services.

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Fig. 1: Direct and indirect effects of latitude, elevation and climate (current and future) on predation pressure.
Fig. 2: Global distribution of high and low predation pressure under the current climate (2015) and a climate scenario projected for 2070.
Fig. 3: Changes in predation pressure predicted by the GLMM approach.
Fig. 4: Global shift in the suitability of high and low predation pressure between the present-day climate and that of 2070.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are publicly available in the Dryad Digital Repository at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j432q.

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Acknowledgements

We are most grateful to all authors of Roslin et al.14; without their contributions, this study would not have been possible. G.Q.R. was supported by BPE-FAPESP (grant no. 2016/01209-9) and CNPq-Brazil research grants. T.S.-S. was supported by a CNPq fellowship (grant no. 151003/2018-1). We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Academy of Finland (grant nos 138346, 276909, 285803 to T.R.). This work was performed during GQR’s sabbatical stay at Queen Mary University of London. This paper is a contribution of the Brazilian Network on Global Climate Change Research funded by CNPq (grant no. 550022/2014-7) and FINEP (grant no. 01.13.0353.00).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Gustavo Q. Romero

  2. Laboratory of Ecological Synthesis and Biodiversity Conservation, Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Thiago Gonçalves-Souza

  3. School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

    Pavel Kratina

  4. Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Nicholas A. C. Marino

  5. Institute of Integrative Biology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

    William K. Petry

  6. Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, Department of Ecology, Bioscience Institute, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil

    Thadeu Sobral-Souza

  7. Spatial Foodweb Ecology Group, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

    Tomas Roslin

  8. Spatial Foodweb Ecology Group, Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Tomas Roslin

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Contributions

G.Q.R. conceived the idea, developed it with all co-authors, and drafted the manuscript with inputs from all co-authors. G.Q.R., T.G.-S. and N.A.C.M. performed the statistical analyses. T.S.-S. performed the niche modelling with inputs from T.G.-S. and G.Q.R. T.G.-S. and T.S.-S. drafted the figures. All authors contributed substantially to revisions and the final format of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Gustavo Q. Romero.

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Supplementary Tables 1–3, Supplementary Figures 1–11

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Romero, G.Q., Gonçalves-Souza, T., Kratina, P. et al. Global predation pressure redistribution under future climate change. Nature Clim Change 8, 1087–1091 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0347-y

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