Disease-mediated bottom-up regulation: An emergent virus affects a keystone prey, and alters the dynamics of trophic webs

Pedro Monterroso; Germán Garrote; Ana Serronha; Emídio Santos; Miguel Delibes-Mateos; Joana Abrantes; Ramón Perez De Ayala; Fernando Silvestre; João Carvalho; Inês Vasco; Ana M. Lopes; Elisa Maio; Maria J. Magalhães; L. Scott Mills; Pedro J. Esteves; Miguel Ngel Simón; Paulo C. Alves

doi:10.1038/srep36072

Disease-mediated bottom-up regulation: An emergent virus affects a keystone prey, and alters the dynamics of trophic webs

Pedro Monterroso, Germán Garrote, Ana Serronha, Emídio Santos, Miguel Delibes-Mateos, Joana Abrantes, Ramón Perez De Ayala, Fernando Silvestre, João Carvalho, Inês Vasco, Ana M. Lopes, Elisa Maio, Maria J. Magalhães, L. Scott Mills, Pedro J. Esteves, Miguel Ngel Simón, Paulo C. Alves

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60 Scopus citations

Abstract

Emergent diseases may alter the structure and functioning of ecosystems by creating new biotic interactions and modifying existing ones, producing cascading processes along trophic webs. Recently, a new variant of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2 or RHDVb) arguably caused widespread declines in a keystone prey in Mediterranean ecosystems - the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). We quantitatively assess the impact of RHDV2 on natural rabbit populations and in two endangered apex predator populations: the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) and the Spanish Imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti). We found 60-70% declines in rabbit populations, followed by decreases of 65.7% in Iberian lynx and 45.5% in Spanish Imperial eagle fecundities. A revision of the web of trophic interactions among rabbits and their dependent predators suggests that RHDV2 acts as a keystone species, and may steer Mediterranean ecosystems to management-dependent alternative states, dominated by simplified mesopredator communities. This model system stresses the importance of diseases as functional players in the dynamics of trophic webs.

Original language	English
Article number	36072
Journal	Scientific Reports
Volume	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/srep36072
State	Published - Oct 31 2016

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Monterroso, P., Garrote, G., Serronha, A., Santos, E., Delibes-Mateos, M., Abrantes, J., De Ayala, R. P., Silvestre, F., Carvalho, J., Vasco, I., Lopes, A. M., Maio, E., Magalhães, M. J., Mills, L. S., Esteves, P. J., Simón, M. N., & Alves, P. C. (2016). Disease-mediated bottom-up regulation: An emergent virus affects a keystone prey, and alters the dynamics of trophic webs. Scientific Reports, 6, Article 36072. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep36072

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title = "Disease-mediated bottom-up regulation: An emergent virus affects a keystone prey, and alters the dynamics of trophic webs",

abstract = "Emergent diseases may alter the structure and functioning of ecosystems by creating new biotic interactions and modifying existing ones, producing cascading processes along trophic webs. Recently, a new variant of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2 or RHDVb) arguably caused widespread declines in a keystone prey in Mediterranean ecosystems - the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). We quantitatively assess the impact of RHDV2 on natural rabbit populations and in two endangered apex predator populations: the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) and the Spanish Imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti). We found 60-70% declines in rabbit populations, followed by decreases of 65.7% in Iberian lynx and 45.5% in Spanish Imperial eagle fecundities. A revision of the web of trophic interactions among rabbits and their dependent predators suggests that RHDV2 acts as a keystone species, and may steer Mediterranean ecosystems to management-dependent alternative states, dominated by simplified mesopredator communities. This model system stresses the importance of diseases as functional players in the dynamics of trophic webs.",

author = "Pedro Monterroso and Germ{\'a}n Garrote and Ana Serronha and Em{\'i}dio Santos and Miguel Delibes-Mateos and Joana Abrantes and {De Ayala}, {Ram{\'o}n Perez} and Fernando Silvestre and Jo{\~a}o Carvalho and In{\^e}s Vasco and Lopes, {Ana M.} and Elisa Maio and Magalh{\~a}es, {Maria J.} and Mills, {L. Scott} and Esteves, {Pedro J.} and Sim{\'o}n, {Miguel Ngel} and Alves, {Paulo C.}",

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year = "2016",

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Monterroso, P, Garrote, G, Serronha, A, Santos, E, Delibes-Mateos, M, Abrantes, J, De Ayala, RP, Silvestre, F, Carvalho, J, Vasco, I, Lopes, AM, Maio, E, Magalhães, MJ, Mills, LS, Esteves, PJ, Simón, MN & Alves, PC 2016, 'Disease-mediated bottom-up regulation: An emergent virus affects a keystone prey, and alters the dynamics of trophic webs', Scientific Reports, vol. 6, 36072. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep36072

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T1 - Disease-mediated bottom-up regulation

T2 - An emergent virus affects a keystone prey, and alters the dynamics of trophic webs

AU - Monterroso, Pedro

AU - Garrote, Germán

AU - Serronha, Ana

AU - Santos, Emídio

AU - Delibes-Mateos, Miguel

AU - Abrantes, Joana

AU - De Ayala, Ramón Perez

AU - Silvestre, Fernando

AU - Carvalho, João

AU - Vasco, Inês

AU - Lopes, Ana M.

AU - Maio, Elisa

AU - Magalhães, Maria J.

AU - Mills, L. Scott

AU - Esteves, Pedro J.

AU - Simón, Miguel Ngel

AU - Alves, Paulo C.

PY - 2016/10/31

Y1 - 2016/10/31

N2 - Emergent diseases may alter the structure and functioning of ecosystems by creating new biotic interactions and modifying existing ones, producing cascading processes along trophic webs. Recently, a new variant of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2 or RHDVb) arguably caused widespread declines in a keystone prey in Mediterranean ecosystems - the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). We quantitatively assess the impact of RHDV2 on natural rabbit populations and in two endangered apex predator populations: the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) and the Spanish Imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti). We found 60-70% declines in rabbit populations, followed by decreases of 65.7% in Iberian lynx and 45.5% in Spanish Imperial eagle fecundities. A revision of the web of trophic interactions among rabbits and their dependent predators suggests that RHDV2 acts as a keystone species, and may steer Mediterranean ecosystems to management-dependent alternative states, dominated by simplified mesopredator communities. This model system stresses the importance of diseases as functional players in the dynamics of trophic webs.

AB - Emergent diseases may alter the structure and functioning of ecosystems by creating new biotic interactions and modifying existing ones, producing cascading processes along trophic webs. Recently, a new variant of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2 or RHDVb) arguably caused widespread declines in a keystone prey in Mediterranean ecosystems - the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). We quantitatively assess the impact of RHDV2 on natural rabbit populations and in two endangered apex predator populations: the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) and the Spanish Imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti). We found 60-70% declines in rabbit populations, followed by decreases of 65.7% in Iberian lynx and 45.5% in Spanish Imperial eagle fecundities. A revision of the web of trophic interactions among rabbits and their dependent predators suggests that RHDV2 acts as a keystone species, and may steer Mediterranean ecosystems to management-dependent alternative states, dominated by simplified mesopredator communities. This model system stresses the importance of diseases as functional players in the dynamics of trophic webs.

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VL - 6

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

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Disease-mediated bottom-up regulation: An emergent virus affects a keystone prey, and alters the dynamics of trophic webs

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