Staff View
Variation in trophic niche sizes of terrestrial predators along an elevation gradient

Descriptive

TitleInfo
Title
Variation in trophic niche sizes of terrestrial predators along an elevation gradient
Name (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Lutz
NamePart (type = given)
Tiffany
NamePart (type = date)
1986-
DisplayForm
Tiffany Lutz
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
author
Name (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Gonzalez
NamePart (type = given)
Angelica
DisplayForm
Angelica Gonzalez
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
chair
Name (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Dighton
NamePart (type = given)
John
DisplayForm
John Dighton
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
internal member
Name (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Oberle
NamePart (type = given)
Jennifer
DisplayForm
Jennifer Oberle
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
internal member
Name (type = corporate)
NamePart
Rutgers University
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
degree grantor
Name (type = corporate)
NamePart
Camden Graduate School
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
school
TypeOfResource
Text
Genre (authority = marcgt)
theses
OriginInfo
DateCreated (qualifier = exact)
2017
DateOther (qualifier = exact); (type = degree)
2017-10
CopyrightDate (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact)
2017
Place
PlaceTerm (type = code)
xx
Language
LanguageTerm (authority = ISO639-2b); (type = code)
eng
Abstract (type = abstract)
Environmental gradients and species traits can have important impacts on trophic interactions and communities. Changes in temperature and productivity can directly or indirectly affect the structure of food webs through their influence on the body mass and diversity of organisms. Additionally, functional traits such as hunting mode can select for wider or narrower range of prey diversity influencing consumer-resource interactions and the trophic niches of consumers.Here we used stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) to investigate the variation of trophic niche size of predatory spiders as a function of changes in biotic and abiotic factors, as well as determine the differences in trophic niche sizes among web-building spiders, along an elevation gradient in the Andes Mountains (Ecuador). We conducted spider-prey capture observations within each location to determine realized prey and performed arthropod sampling from the environment to estimate prey availability. We found significant differences in trophic niche size across sites, web architectures, and among populations through the elevation gradient. We found that the trophic niche sizes of the whole spider community and that of orb and sheet weaving spider were positively correlated with elevation. Additionally, orb and sheet weaving webs displayed similar trophic niche sizes at three out of four locations. Within a single orb-weaving spider species, Leucauge venusta displayed higher trophic niche sizes at the lower elevation sites and was correlated with changes in temperature, net primary productivity and prey diversity. This study shows that environmental changes in abiotic and biotic variables as well as functional traits such as foraging method can influence the trophic niche of generalist predators and the structure of food webs.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Biology
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Food chains (Ecology)
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_8338
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (iii, 38 p. : ill.)
Note (type = degree)
M.S.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Tiffany Lutz
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Camden Graduate School Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10005600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
NjNbRU
Identifier (type = doi)
doi:10.7282/T3H70JV0
Genre (authority = ExL-Esploro)
ETD graduate
Back to the top

Rights

RightsDeclaration (ID = rulibRdec0006)
The author owns the copyright to this work.
RightsHolder (type = personal)
Name
FamilyName
Lutz
GivenName
Tiffany
Role
Copyright Holder
RightsEvent
Type
Permission or license
DateTime (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact); (point = start)
2017-09-11 10:09:47
AssociatedEntity
Name
Tiffany Lutz
Role
Copyright holder
Affiliation
Rutgers University. Camden Graduate School
AssociatedObject
Type
License
Name
Author Agreement License
Detail
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
RightsEvent
DateTime (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact); (point = start)
2017-10-31
DateTime (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact); (point = end)
2099-12-31
Type
Embargo
Detail
Access to this PDF has been restricted at the author's request.
Copyright
Status
Copyright protected
Availability
Status
Open
Reason
Permission or license
Back to the top

Technical

RULTechMD (ID = TECHNICAL1)
ContentModel
ETD
OperatingSystem (VERSION = 5.1)
windows xp
CreatingApplication
Version
1.4
DateCreated (point = end); (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact)
2017-09-28T15:09:12
DateCreated (point = end); (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact)
2017-09-28T11:10:24
ApplicationName
3-Heights(TM) PDF Merge Split API 4.9.17.0 (http://www.pdf-tools.com)
Back to the top
Version 8.5.5
Rutgers University Libraries - Copyright ©2024