ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the complex consequences of predator-prey interactions in food webs with pike as a top predator, and, in particular, the indirect effects these interactions may have as mechanisms driving community patterns. It outlines some examples leading to both weaker and stronger interactions, ultimately affecting the strength of the trophic cascade. The term trophic cascade, first mentioned by R. T. Paine, stems from the trophic level concept and describes the process when predators suppress their prey and thereby release the next trophic level below from predation/grazing. A basic assumption of studies of cascading trophic interactions is that evolution has no effect on the strength of these interactions, simply because evolutionary and ecological processes work at completely different temporal scales. The shape of the functional response should affect how predators affect prey, and hereby also the potential for and strength of cascading trophic interactions.
