Cited by 932Marine and fisheries researchMarine animal studies overviewCoral and Marine Ecosystems Studies

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Cascading top-down effects of changing oceanic predator abundances

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Baum, Julia K., Worm, Boris·2009·Journal of Animal Ecology

DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01531.x

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Abstract

1. Top-down control can be an important determinant of ecosystem structure and function, but in oceanic ecosystems, where cascading effects of predator depletions, recoveries, and invasions could be significant, such effects had rarely been demonstrated until recently. 2. Here we synthesize the evidence for oceanic top-down control that has emerged over the last decade, focusing on large, high trophic-level predators inhabiting continental shelves, seas, and the open ocean. 3. In these ecosystems, where controlled manipulations are largely infeasible, 'pseudo-experimental' analyses of predator-prey interactions that treat independent predator populations as 'replicates', and temporal or spatial contrasts in predator populations and climate as 'treatments', are increasingly employed to help disentangle predator effects from environmental variation and noise. 4. Substantial reductions in marine mammals, sharks, and piscivorous fishes have led to mesopredator and invertebrate predator increases. Conversely, abundant oceanic predators have suppressed prey abundances. Predation has also inhibited recovery of depleted species, sometimes through predator-prey role reversals. Trophic cascades have been initiated by oceanic predators linking to neritic food webs, but seem inconsistent in the pelagic realm with effects often attenuating at plankton. 5. Top-down control is not uniformly strong in the ocean, and appears contingent on the intensity and nature of perturbations to predator abundances. Predator diversity may dampen cascading effects except where nonselective fisheries deplete entire predator functional groups. In other cases, simultaneous exploitation of predator and prey can inhibit prey responses. Explicit consideration of anthropogenic modifications to oceanic foodwebs should help inform predictions about trophic control. 6. Synthesis and applications. Oceanic top-down control can have important socio-economic, conservation, and management implications as mesopredators and invertebrates assume dominance, and recovery of overexploited predators is impaired. Continued research aimed at integrating across trophic levels is needed to understand and forecast the ecosystem effects of changing oceanic predator abundances, the relative strength of top-down and bottom-up control, and interactions with intensifying anthropogenic stressors such as climate change.

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Initial recovery of demersal fish communities in coastal waters of Hong Kong, South China, following a trawl ban
Mak, Y. K. Y., Tao, L. S. R., Ho, V. C. M., Dudgeon, D. L., Cheung, W. W. L., & Leung, K. (2021) · Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries · doi:10.1007/s11160-021-09685-5 · Cited by 27
Trophic Dynamics and Feeding Ecology of Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) off Eastern and Western Taiwan
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“Finally, mesopredators shape ecosystems in both pelagic ecosystems [33] and more broadly [34].”
Background
Inter‐Tissue Differences in Fatty Acid Incorporation as a Result of Dietary Oil Manipulation in Port Jackson Sharks (Heterodontus portusjacksoni)
Beckmann, C. L., Mitchell, J. G., Stone, D. A. J., & Huveneers, C. P. M. (2014) · Lipids · doi:10.1007/s11745-014-3887-6 · Cited by 24
“as regulators of these ecosystems, affecting the size, abundance, and variety of their prey [1–3].”
Background
Kelp forest size alters microbial community structure and function on Vancouver Island, Canada
Clasen, J. L., & Shurin, J. B. (2014) · Ecology · doi:10.1890/13-2147.1 · Cited by 24
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“Predation pressure affects the population dynamics of prey fishes and may have cascading effects on lower trophic niches (Baum & Worm 2009, Eriksson et al. 2009).”
Background
Impact of biology knowledge on the conservation and management of large pelagic sharks
Yokoi, H., Ijima, H., Ohshimo, S., & Yokawa, K. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-017-09427-3 · Cited by 24
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Trophic impact of Atlantic bluefin tuna migrations in the North Sea
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“It has been shown that in marine food 52! webs a high degree of connectivity, presence of omnivory, ontogenic diet shifts and 53! fishing can all prevent or dampen trophic cascades (Baum and Worm 2009, Andersen 54! and Pedersen, 2010).”
Background
Seabird interactions and by‐catch in the anchovy pelagic trawl fishery operating in northern Argentina
Paz, J. A., Pon, J. P. S., Favero, M., Blanco, G., & Copello, S. (2018) · Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems · doi:10.1002/aqc.2907 · Cited by 25
Keeping the lead: How to strengthen shark conservation and management policies in Canada
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“these species are apex predators and changes in their abundance can have far-reaching consequences for the structure, function and resilience of marine ecosystems; which rises important ecological, socio-economic, and management concerns [11–13].”
Background
Stomach content and stable isotope analysis of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) diet in eastern Taiwan waters
Tsai, C.-N., Chiang, W.-C., Sun, C.-L., Shao, K.-T., Chen, S.-Y., & Yeh, S.-Z. (2015) · Fisheries Research · doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2014.10.021 · Cited by 22
The diversity, distribution and status of deep‐water elasmobranchs in the Rockall Trough, north‐east Atlantic Ocean
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Bottom‐up processes drive reproductive success in an apex predator
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“Predators limit prey populations through top- down mechanisms in many systems (Baum & Worm, 2009; Frank, Petrie, Choi, & Leggett, 2005; McLaren & Peterson, 1994; Therrien, Gauthier, Korpimaki, & Bety, 2014), although bottom- up limitation can also play a role (Frederiksen, Edwards, Richardson,…”
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Ingestion of macroplastic debris by the common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the Western Equatorial Atlantic.
Menezes, R., da Cunha-Neto, M. A., de Mesquita, G. C., & da Silva, G. B. (2019) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.02.026 · Cited by 19
Trophic ecology of large pelagic fish in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Brazil
Albuquerque, F. V., Navia, A. F., Vaske‐Júnior, T., Crespo, O., & Hazin, F. H. V. (2019) · Marine and Freshwater Research · doi:10.1071/mf18352 · Cited by 23
Density-dependent foraging and colony growth in a pelagic seabird species under varying environmental conditions
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Evaluating the isotopic niche of beaked whales from the southwestern South Atlantic and Southern Oceans
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Trophic position scales positively with body size within but not among four species of rocky reef predators
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“…scaling Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Mar Ecol Prog Ser 640: 189–200, 2020 by inducing behavioral shifts of prey (Baum & Worm 2009, Madin et al. 2016), yet body size may modulate the strength of these ecological interactions (McCauley et al.…”
Background
Juvenile emperor penguin range calls for extended conservation measures in the Southern Ocean
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“Marine top predators, such as seabirds and marine mammals, play a pivotal role in marine ecosystems [1], and any disruptions in their abundance and distribution can have a major impact on the functioning and resilience of ecosystems [2].”
Background
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White, W. T., Blaber, S. J. M., & Craig, J. F. (2012) · Journal of Fish Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03268.x · Cited by 22
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“…et al., 2004; Eklof and Ebenman, 2006) as some human activities, such as over-fishing, habitat destruction and alien species invasion, may cause the extinction of native species and indirectly trigger the collapse of an ecosystem (Grosholz et al., 2000; Dobson et al., 2006; Baum and Worm, 2009).”
Background
Seasonal aggregations of sharks near coastal power plants in Israel: an emerging phenomenon
Barash, A., Pickholtz, R., Pickholtz, E. Y., Blaustein, L., & Rilov, G. (2018) · Marine Ecology Progress Series · doi:10.3354/meps12478 · Cited by 22
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“Trophic ecology studies not only dealwith the diet composition of a given organism, but also provide important information on the structure of the food web (Baum & Worm 2009; Hussey et al. 2012; Preti et al. 2012).”
Background
Hierarchical Bayesian model reveals the distributional shifts of Arctic marine mammals
Mäkinen, J., & Vanhatalo, J. P. (2018) · Diversity and Distributions · doi:10.1111/ddi.12776 · Cited by 21
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Background
Trophic ecology of a large-bodied marine predator, bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus, inferred using stable isotope analysis
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“Theory and practice suggest that predators can structure consumer and producer populations in the ocean, but there is considerable variability within these observations (Borer et al. 2005, Shears et al. 2008, Baum & Worm 2009).”
BackgroundSelf-citation
Distribution and ontogenetic habitat shifts of reefassociated shark species in the northeastern Caribbean
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Bottom-up conservation: using translational ecology to inform conservation priorities for a recreational fishery
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The role of mammals as key predators in marine ecosystems
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“Existing research results have shown that fishing exploitation impacts on the keystone predators determines the obvious anthropogenic changes in the food web, which in turn affects the structure and function of the marine ecosystem (Baum & Worm, 2009; Pauly et al., 1998).”
Background
Exploitation shifted trophic ecology and habitat preferences of Mediterranean and Black Sea bluefin tuna over centuries
Andrews, A. J., Pampoulie, C., Natale, A. D., Addis, P., Casasola, D. B., Aniceti, V., Carenti, G., Gómez‐Fernández, V., Chosson, V., Ughi, A., et al. (2023) · Fish and Fisheries · doi:10.1111/faf.12785 · Cited by 19
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BackgroundInfluential
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Background
Human-induced reductions in fish predator boldness decrease their predation rates in kelp forests
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Background
Use of food web knowledge in environmental conservation and management of living resources in the Baltic Sea
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Background
Effects of disturbance on small mammal community structure in the New Jersey Pinelands, USA
SHENKO, A. N., Bien, W. F., Spotila, J. R., & Avery, H. W. (2012) · Integrative Zoology · doi:10.1111/j.1749-4877.2011.00274.x · Cited by 21
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“Changing distribution and abundance of dominant predators may further amplify the strength of top- down effects (Baum & Worm, 2009; Otto, Berlow, Rank, Smiley, & Brose, 2008).”
Background
Depth and habitat are important drivers of abundance for predatory reef fish off Pemba Island, Tanzania
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Authors: Baum, J. K., & Worm, B.
Affiliations: Dalhousie University (CA)
Corresponding author: Baum, Julia K.
ORCID: Baum, Julia K.
Worm, Boris
Venue: Journal of Animal Ecology
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2009-06-04
Volume: 78
Issue: 4
Pages: 699-714
ISSN: 0021-8790 (ISSN-L)
1365-2656
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01531.x
OpenAlex: W2132556874
Cited by: 932
References: 134
Citations by year: 2026: 48 · 2025: 49 · 2024: 57 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 67 · 2021: 66 · 2020: 55 · 2019: 54 · 2018: 47 · 2017: 55 · 2016: 65 · 2015: 63 · 2014: 57 · 2013: 50 · 2012: 52
FWCI: 4.81
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: bronze
doi.org
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: Journal of Animal Ecology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Topics: Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Marine and fisheries research
Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Marine animal studies overview
Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
Keywords: top-down control, trophic cascades, predator abundance, marine mammals, sharks, piscivorous fish, mesopredator release, invertebrate predators, predator-prey interactions, role reversal, predator recovery, fisheries depletion, predator diversity, bottom-up control, food webs, climate change, marine conservation
MeSH terms: Animals, Oceans and Seas, Population Dynamics, Predatory Behavior, Time Factors, Food Chain

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Cascading top-down effects of changing oceanic predator abundances

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