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1,551 results for “prey”

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dryad40/100

Numerical response of predator to prey: Dynamic interactions and population cycles in Eurasian lynx and roe deer

The dynamic interactions between predators and their prey have two fundamental processes; numerical and functional responses. Numerical response is defined as predator growth rate as a function of prey density or both prey and predator densities [dP/dt = f(N, P)]. Functional response is defined as the kill rate by an individual predator being a function of prey density or prey and predator densities combined. Although there are relatively many studies on the functional response in mammalian predators, numerical response remains poorly documented. We studied numerical response of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) to various densities of its primary prey species, roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and to itself (lynx). We exploited an unusual natural situation, spanning three decades where lynx, after a period of absence in central and southern Sweden, during which roe deer populations had grown to high densities, subsequently recolonized region after region, from north to south. We divided the study area into seven regions, with increasing productivity from north to south. We found strong effects of both roe deer density and lynx density on lynx numerical response. Thus, both resources and intraspecific competition for these resources are important to understand the lynx population dynamic. We built a series of deterministic lynx–roe deer models and applied them to the seven regions. We found a very good fit between these Lotka-Volterra-type models and the data. The deterministic models produced almost cyclic dynamics or dampened cycles in five of the seven regions. Thus, we documented population cycles in this large-predator-large-herbivore system, which is rarely done. The amplitudes in the dampened cycles decreased towards the south. Thus, the dynamics between lynx and roe deer became more stable with increasing carrying capacity for roe deer, which is related to higher productivity in the environment. This increased stability could be explained by variation in predation risk, where human presence can act as prey refugia, and by a more diverse prey guild that will weaken the direct interaction between lynx and roe deer.

opencc-zeroSep 2023View details →

dryad40/100

Predator home range size mediates indirect interactions between prey species in an arctic vertebrate community

<ol> <li>Indirect interactions are widespread among prey species that share a common predator, but the underlying mechanisms driving these interactions are often unclear, and our ability to predict their outcome is limited. </li> <li>Changes in behavioural traits that impact predator space use could be a key proximal mechanism mediating indirect interactions, but there is little empirical evidence of the causes and consequences of such behavioural-numerical response in multi-species systems. </li> <li>Here, we investigate the complex ecological relationships between seven prey species sharing a common predator. We used a path analysis approach on a comprehensive 9-year dataset simultaneously tracking predator space use, prey densities, and prey mortality rate on key species of a simplified Arctic food-web. </li> <li>We show that high availability of a clumped and spatially predictable prey (goose eggs) leads to a two-fold reduction in predator (arctic fox) home range size, which increases local predator density and strongly decreases nest survival of an incidental prey (American golden plover). On the other hand, a scattered cyclic prey with potentially lower spatial predictability (lemming) had a weaker effect on fox space use and an overall positive impact on the survival of incidental prey.</li> <li>These contrasting effects underline the importance of studying behavioural responses of predators in multi-prey systems and to explicitly integrate behavioural-numerical responses in multi-species predator-prey models.</li> </ol>

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

dryad40/100