Community theory: Testing environmental stress models

Intensifying climate change and an increasing need for understanding its impacts on ecological communities places new emphasis on testing environmental stress models (ESMs). Using a prior literature search plus references from a more recent search, I evaluated empirical support for ESMs, focusing on whether consumer pressure on prey decreased (consumer stress model; CSM) or increased (prey stress model; PSM) with increasing environmental stress. Applying the criterion that testing ESMs requires conducting research at multiple sites along environmental stress gradients, the analysis found that CSMs were most frequent, with 'No Effect' and PSMs occurring at low but similar frequencies. This result contrasts to a prior survey in which 'No Effect' studies were most frequent, thus suggesting that consumers are generally more suppressed by stress than prey. Thus, increased climate change-induced environmental stress seems likely to reduce, not increase impacts of consumers on prey more often than the reverse

Automated summary

This study evaluated the empirical support for environmental stress models (ESMs) and found that consumer pressure on prey typically decreases with increasing environmental stress (consumer stress model; CSM), while prey pressure on consumers (prey stress model; PSM) occurs less frequently. This contrasts with a prior survey, suggesting that consumers are generally more suppressed by stress than prey. Therefore, increased climate change-induced environmental stress is likely to reduce the impacts of consumers on prey more often than the reverse.