Interactive effects of shifting body size and feeding adaptation drive interaction strengths of protist predators under warming

AbstractGlobal change is heating up ecosystems fuelling biodiversity loss and species extinctions. High-trophic-level predators are especially prone to extinction due to an energetic mismatch between increasing feeding rates and metabolism with warming. Different adaptation mechanisms such as decreasing body size to reduce energy requirements (morphological response) as well as direct effects of adaptation to feeding parameters (physiological response) have been proposed to overcome this problem. Here, we use protist-bacteria microcosm experiments to show how those adaptations may have the potential to buffer the impact of warming on predator-prey interactions. After adapting the ciliate predatorTetrahymena pyriformisto three different temperatures (15°C, 20°C and 25°C) for approximately 20 generations we conducted functional response experiments on bacterial prey along an experimental temperature gradient (15°C, 20°C and 25°C). We found an increase of maximum feeding rates and half-saturation densities with rising experimental temperatures. Adaptation temperature had on average slightly negative effects on maximum feeding rates, but maximum feeding rates increased more strongly with rising experimental temperature in warm adapted predators than in cold adapted predators. There was no effect of adaptation temperature on half-saturation densities characterising foraging efficiency. Besides the mixed response in functional response parameters, predators also adapted by decreasing body size. As smaller predators need less energy to fulfil their energetic demands, maximum feeding rates relative to the energetic demands increased slightly with increased adaptation temperature. Accordingly, predators adapted to 25°C showed the highest feeding rates at 25°C experimental temperature, while predators adapted to 15°C showed the highest maximum feeding rate at 15°C. Therefore, adaptation to different temperatures potentially avoids an energetic mismatch with warming. Especially a shift in body size with warming additionally to an adaptation of physiological parameters potentially helps to maintain a positive energy balance and prevent predator extinction with rising temperatures.