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Virtual Issue on Adaptive Foraging and Food Webs

Edited by Andrew P. Beckerman & Owen L. Petchey
JANUARY 2010

INTRODUCTION

Optimal foraging theory was originally developed as a tool to explore how to link animal and plant behaviour to the population dynamics and distribution of species, and the ecology of natural communities.

Despite its dominant use in behavioural ecology, the past 12 years have also seen a renewed interest in formalising links between adaptive behaviour and food webs (Schmitz 1994, this Special Feature 2010).

This virtual issue of Functional Ecology highlights a selection of articles appearing in the journal that focus broadly on adaptive behaviour, trait responses to climate or other species and food webs. The articles complement the special feature with a focus on body size (S. A. Chamberlain and J. N. Holland, 2009; F. Tripet and N. Perrin, 1994), optimal foraging (K. D. Farnsworth, A. W. Illius, 1998; D. Grémillet, G. Kuntz, F. Delbart et al., 2004; J. A. Newman, A. J. Parsons, J. H. M. Thornley, P. D. Penning, J. R. Krebs, 1995; F. Tripet and N. Perrin, 1994), or stability (B. E. Beisner, E. McCauley and F. J. Wrona, 1997). Others expand on strictly ecological definitions of adaptive traits by investigating phenotypic plasticity (A. Banerji and P. J. Morin, 2009; S. L. Duquette, R. Altwegg and B. R. Anholt, 2005), while others contribute more empirical data on above and below ground interactions (Susanne Wurst, Sander van Beersum, Roel Wagenaar et al., 2009), microbial communities (Susanne Wurst, Sander van Beersum, Roel Wagenaar et al., 2009; J. A. Krumins, Z. T. Long, C. F. Steiner and P. J. Morin, 2006) and a variety of plants (G. W. Korthals, P. Smilauer, C. Van Dijk and W. H. Van Der Putten, 2001; Susanne Wurst, Sander van Beersum, Roel Wagenaar et al., 2009). Finally a number of papers detail interactions between the climate, species’ trait responses and food web dynamics or structure (A. Buse, S. J. Dury, R. J. W. Woodburn, C. M. Perrins and J. E. G. Good, 1999; K. K. Newsham and T. Garstecki, 2007).

We hope this virtual issue captures some of the many ways in which the functional interactions between the environment and species traits lead to the structure and dynamics of communities.

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