Sex-specific variation in species interactions matters in ecological communities

Elena Gissi; Maurice Codespoti Goodman; Robin Elahi; Jamie M McDevitt-Irwin; Natalie S Arnoldi; Nur Arafeh-Dalmau; Christopher J Knight; Carolina Olguín-Jacobson; Melissa Palmisciano; Ceyenna M Tillman; Giulio A De Leo; Fiorenza Micheli

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2024.07.006

Sex-specific variation in species interactions matters in ecological communities

Trends Ecol Evol. 2024 Aug 5:S0169-5347(24)00171-X. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.07.006. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ Oceans Department, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA; National Research Council, Institute of Marine Science, Venice, 30122, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, 90133, Italy. Electronic address: elena.gissi@cnr.it.
² Oceans Department, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.
³ Oceans Department, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA; Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93117, USA.
⁴ Oceans Department, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA; Department of Geography, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
⁵ Oceans Department, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA; Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.

PMID: 39107207
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.07.006

Abstract

Understanding how natural communities and ecosystems are structured and respond to anthropogenic pressures in a rapidly changing world is key to successful management and conservation. A fundamental but often overlooked biological characteristic of organisms is sex. Sex-based responses are often considered when conducting studies at organismal and population levels, but are rarely investigated in community ecology. Focusing on kelp forests as a model system, and through a review of other marine and terrestrial ecosystems, we found evidence of widespread sex-based variation in species interactions. Sex-based variation in species interactions is expected to affect ecosystem structure and functioning via multiple trophic and nontrophic pathways. Understanding the drivers and consequences of sex-based variation in species interactions can inform more effective management and restoration.

Keywords: bottom-up control; cascading effects; consumer–resource; field research; trophic and nontrophic interactions.

Publication types

Review