Trait-matching and phylogeny as predictors of predator-prey interactions involving ground beetles

With global change modifying species assemblages, our success in predicting ecosystem level consequences of these new communities will depend, in part, on our ability to understand biotic interactions. Current food web theory considers interactions between numerous species simultaneously, but descriptive models are unable to predict interactions between newly co-occurring species. Incorporating proxies such as functional traits and phylogeny into models could help infer predator/ prey interactions.
Here we used trait-matching between predator feeding traits and prey vulnerability traits, along with phylogeny (used as a proxy for chemical defence and other traits difficult to document), to infer predatory interactions using ground beetles as model organisms.
A feeding experiment was conducted involving 20 ground beetle and 115 prey species to determine which pair of species did or did not interact. Eight predator and four prey functional traits were measured directly on specimens. Then...