Personality variation in two predator species does not impact prey species survival or plant damage in staged mesocosms

摘要

Mounting evidence suggests that consistent individual differences in behavior, better known as animal personality, can shape aspects of population and community ecology. Yet, the potential for animal personality to affect more complex and non-linear food webs, like those seen in nature, remains understudied. Here, we explore the degree to which the aggregate behaviors of two predator species simultaneously interact to alter prey survival rates and the presence and magnitude of trophic cascades. We set up mesocosms in an old-field habitat containing four different insect prey species and either two Phidippus clarus (Salticidae), two Platycryptus undatus (Salticidae), or one of each predator. Prior to initiating each mesocosm, we assayed the activity level and boldness of each individual predator and included these metrics in our models predicting prey survival and plant damage. We then compared the number of surviving prey and plant damage under each of these conditions and tested for associations between each of these response variables and predator behavior. We found no significant effect of predator community composition or predators' behavior on prey survival or plant damage. These results suggest that the effects of predator personality on prey survival may be subtle or absent in complex species interaction modules.