SPP 1374 - Subproject: Changes in Small Mammal Trophic Interactions (SMaTI) in response to land-use intensity and biodiversity (SMaTI)

Basic data for this project

Description

Small mammals play a crucial role in many ecosystem processes in natural and managed ecosystems, such as seed predation, herbivory, and the predation of invertebrates. The SMaTI project is the first that aims to empirically assess changes in trophic interactions and ecosystem process rates by small mammals in response to land-use intensity and local and seasonal biodiversity in grassland and forest ecosystems. Changes in trophic interactions along the land-use gradient will be analyzed by (1) metabarcoding of plant and animal DNA in stomach contents of mice, voles (Rodentia), and shrew (Eulipotyphla). This detailed snapshot of the diet will be completed by (2) information on the long-term resource use and trophic position provided by stable isotope analysis of muscle tissue. (3) Changes in the contribution of small mammals to seed and invertebrate predation under different land-use intensities and changing management regimes will be assessed by a combination of cafeteria experiments and camera observations. This method allows the identification of consumers and calculation of per capita consumption of seeds and sentinel prey by distinct consumer groups. The highly detailed data on trophic interactions will provide valuable insights into mechanism underlying dynamics in species composition and ecological processes in complex real-world ecosystems.