Data from: Arthropods as vertebrate predators: a review of global patterns

Aim: Arthropods as vertebrate predators is generally overlooked in ecology due to the cryptic nature of these events, the relatively small size of arthropods, and the difficulty in finding published data. This study represents the largest global assessment of arthropods preying on vertebrates to provide a conceptual framework, identify global patterns, and provide a searchable database. Location: Global. Time period: Present. Major taxa studied: Arthropods and vertebrates. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted. Results: Nearly 1300 recorded observations were collated from 89 countries. Arthropod predators were from six classes and 80 families. Vertebrate prey were from five classes and 162 families. Spiders represented over half of all predatory events and were the main predator for all vertebrates except birds, which were preyed mostly upon by praying mantises. Over a third of all prey were amphibians, specifically frogs. Preyed reptiles were nearly all lizards, half of mammal prey were bats, nearly a third of fish were Cypriniformes, and half of bird prey were passerines. Predation by spiders were mainly documented from the U.S., Brazil, and Australia, and biased everywhere except the U.S.; insects were mainly from Europe, Australia, and the Americas, and biased toward North America; Amphibian events were mainly from the Americas and strongly biased everywhere, except for the U.S. and Australia; reptiles were mostly from the Americas and Australia, and biased towards the U.S. and Australia; birds were mainly from the Americas, Australia, and Europe, and biased towards Central America and Europe; mammals were mostly reported from North and Central America, Australia, and Asia, and strongly biased everywhere except Brazil. Main conclusions: This study demonstrates that arthropods are an underestimated predator of vertebrates. Recognizing and quantifying these predator-prey interactions is vital for identifying patterns and the potential impact of these relationships on shaping vertebrate populations and communities.

研究目的：节肢动物（Arthropods）作为脊椎动物（vertebrates）的捕食者，在生态学研究中常被忽视，原因在于此类捕食事件具有隐蔽性、节肢动物体型相对偏小，且相关已发表数据难以获取。本研究开展了迄今为止规模最大的全球节肢动物捕食脊椎动物事件评估，旨在构建概念框架、识别全球分布模式，并提供一个可检索的数据库。研究区域：全球。时间范围：现今。研究类群：节肢动物与脊椎动物。研究方法：开展系统性文献综述（systematic literature review）。结果：本研究共收集了来自89个国家的近1300条记录。捕食者节肢动物隶属于6纲、80科；猎物脊椎动物隶属于5纲、162科。蜘蛛类群占所有捕食事件的半数以上，是除鸟类外所有脊椎动物类群的主要捕食者；鸟类的主要捕食者则为螳螂。超过三分之一的猎物为两栖动物（Amphibians），其中以蛙类为主。被捕食的爬行动物（Reptiles）几乎全部为蜥蜴；哺乳动物（Mammals）猎物中半数为蝙蝠；近三分之一的鱼类（Fish）猎物为鲤形目物种；鸟类（Birds）猎物中半数为雀形目鸟类。蜘蛛捕食事件的记录主要来自美国、巴西与澳大利亚，除美国外其余区域均存在记录偏差；昆虫类捕食事件的记录主要分布于欧洲、澳大利亚与美洲，且偏向北美区域；两栖动物捕食事件主要记录于美洲，除美国与澳大利亚外其余区域均存在显著记录偏差；爬行动物捕食事件主要来自美洲与澳大利亚，且偏向美国与澳大利亚区域；鸟类捕食事件主要记录于美洲、澳大利亚与欧洲，且偏向中美洲与欧洲区域；哺乳动物捕食事件的报道主要来自北美、中美洲、澳大利亚与亚洲，除巴西外其余区域均存在显著记录偏差。主要结论：本研究证实，节肢动物对脊椎动物的捕食作用被严重低估。识别并量化此类捕食者-猎物相互作用，对于明确其分布模式，以及该关系对脊椎动物种群与群落构建的潜在影响，具有至关重要的意义。