Science Source
Phenological synchronization disrupts trophic interactions between Kodiak brown bears and salmon
- States that climate change is altering the seasonal timing of biological events, effectively rescheduling the potential interactions among species
- States that specialist consumers suffer when they fail to synchronize with their prey; however, little is known about how generalist consumers respond to phenological shifts across multiple food resources
- Examines how a generalist consumer, the Kodiak brown bear, responded when two key foods, red elderberry and sockeye salmon, became synchronized
- Finds that bears switched from eating salmon to elderberries, disrupting an ecological link that typically fertilizes terrestrial ecosystems and generates high mortality rates for salmon
- Results demonstrate an underappreciated mechanism by which climate-altered phenologies can alter food webs
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