Coexistence via trophic cascade in plant-herbivore-carnivore systems under intense predation pressure

TL;DR

This study models a plant-herbivore-carnivore system to understand how carnivores enable plant coexistence under intense herbivory, emphasizing the importance of top-down regulation for ecosystem stability.

Contribution

The paper introduces a mechanistic food chain model that highlights the critical role of carnivores in promoting plant survival amid high herbivory pressure.

Findings

Carnivores suppress herbivore populations, aiding plant recovery.

Plant densities increase with carnivore predation rates.

Carnivore density is driven by seed-production rates, benefiting plants.

Abstract

Carnivores interact with herbivores to indirectly impact plant populations, creating trophic cascades within plant-herbivore-carnivore systems. We developed and analyzed a food chain model to gain a mechanistic understanding of the critical roles carnivores play in ecosystems where plants face intense herbivory. Our model incorporates key factors such as seed production rates, seed germination probabilities, local plant interactions, herbivory rates, and carnivore predation rates. In the absence of carnivores, herbivores significantly reduce plant densities, often driving plants to extinction under high herbivory rates. However, the presence of carnivores suppresses herbivore populations, allowing plants to recover from herbivore pressure. We found that plant densities increase with carnivore predation rates, highlighting top-down effects and underscoring the importance of conserving carnivores in ecosystems where plants are at high risk of extinction from herbivory. Our results also show that carnivore density increases with seed-production rates, while herbivore density remains constant, indicating that plants benefit carnivores more than herbivores. This increase in carnivore density driven by high seed-production rates reflects bottom-up effects in the system. Overall, our study demonstrates that plants, herbivores, and carnivores can coexist even under intense predation stress. It suggests that carnivores play a crucial role in regulating plant and herbivore populations, with significant potential for maintaining biodiversity within ecosystems.