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733 results for “predatory”
Data from: Large-effect mutations generate trade-off between predatory and locomotor ability during arms race coevolution with deadly prey
Adaptive evolution in response to one selective challenge may disrupt other important aspects of performance. Such evolutionary trade-offs are predicted to arise in the process of local adaptation, but it is unclear if these phenotypic compromises result from the antagonistic effects of simple amino acid substitutions. We tested for trade-offs associated with beneficial mutations that confer tetrodotoxin (TTX) resistance in the voltage-gated sodium channel (NaV1.4) in skeletal muscle of the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). Separate lineages in California and the Pacific Northwest independently evolved TTX-resistant changes to the pore of NaV1.4 as a result of arms race coevolution with toxic prey, newts of the genus Taricha. Snakes from the California lineage that were homozygous for an allele known to confer large increases in toxin resistance (NaV1.4LVNV) had significantly reduced crawl speed compared to individuals with the ancestral TTX-sensitive channel. Heterologous expression of native snake NaV1.4 proteins demonstrated that the same NaV1.4LVNV allele confers a dramatic increase in TTX resistance and a correlated decrease in overall channel excitability. Our results suggest the same mutations that accumulate during arms race coevolution and beneficially interfere with toxin-binding also cause changes in electrophysiological function of the channel that may affect organismal performance. This trade-off was only evident in the predator lineage where coevolution has led to the most extreme resistance phenotype, determined by four critical amino acid substitutions. If these biophysical changes also translate to a fitness cost—for example, through the inability of T. sirtalis to quickly escape predators—then pleiotropy at this single locus could contribute to observed variation in levels of TTX resistance across the mosaic landscape of coevolution.
Data from: Prey exploitation and dispersal strategies vary among natural populations of a predatory mite
When predators commonly overexploit local prey populations, dispersal drives the dynamics in local patches, which together form a metapopulation. Two extremes in a continuum of dispersal strategies are distinguished: the "Killer" strategy, where predators only start dispersing when all prey are eliminated, and the "Milker" strategy, in which predator dispersal occurs irrespective of prey availability. Theory shows that the Milker strategy is not evolutionarily stable if local populations are well connected by dispersal. Using strains of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis, collected from 11 native populations from coastal areas in Turkey and Sicily, we investigated whether these two strategies occur in nature. In small wind tunnels, we measured dispersal rates and population dynamics of all populations in a system consisting of detached rose leaves, spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) as prey, and P. persimilis. We found significant variation in the exploitation and dispersal strategies among predator populations, but none of the collected strains showed the extreme Killer or Milker strategy. The results suggest that there is genetic variation for prey exploitation and dispersal strategies. Thus, different dispersal strategies in the Milker–Killer continuum may be selected for under natural conditions. This may affect the predator–prey dynamics in local populations and is likely to determine persistence of predator–prey systems at the metapopulation level.
Data from: Shell ornamentation as a likely exaptation: evidence from predatory drilling on Cenozoic bivalves
Predation is an important process in modern oceans and in the evolutionary history of marine ecosystems. Consequently, it has been hypothesized that shelled prey modified their ornamentation in response to predation. However, bivalve ornamentation has also been argued to be important in maintaining a stable life position in the sediment and in burrowing. To test whether concentric ribs were effective against drilling by carnivorous gastropods, we examined drill hole position and completeness for four Cenozoic bivalve species that differ in rib strength (Astarte radiata, A. goldfussi, Lirophora glyptocyma, and L. latilirata). The percentage of drill holes located between the ribs increases with increasing rib strength, whereas the percentage of drill holes on top of ribs decreases. This result suggests that gastropods select the drill hole site more effectively as rib strength increases, thereby saving time and energy, and that natural selection favors gastropods that select drill hole sites between ribs. Because of this greater stereotypy, the percentage of drill holes that are incomplete is generally lower in strongly ribbed species. The proportion of drill holes located on top of ribs is greater for incomplete than complete holes, implying that ribs can be effective against predators, but only when selected as the drilling location. We show that ribs are most effective against drilling predation for bivalves with moderately sized ribs, between which gastropods have difficulty siting drill holes. Concentric ribs are unlikely to have evolved as an adaptation against drilling predation because concentric ribs evolved in the Paleozoic and were already common in the Mesozoic, whereas drilling frequency increased later, in the Late Cretaceous–Paleogene. Moreover, rib strength of North American Astarte did not change through this time interval. Thus, the ribs considered here are a likely exaptation to drilling given their effectiveness at deterring drilling predation on bivalves with moderate ribs.
Data from: Ecomorphological determinations in the absence of living analogs: the predatory behavior of the marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex) as revealed by elbow-joint morphology
Thylacoleo carnifex, or the "pouched lion" (Mammalia: Marsupialia: Diprotodontia: Thylacoleonidae) was a carnivorous marsupial that inhabited Australia during the Pleistocene. Although today all authors agree that Thylacoleo had a hypercarnivorous diet, the way in which it killed its prey remains uncertain. Here we use geometric morphometrics to capture the shape of the elbow joint (i.e., the posterior articular surface of the distal humerus) in a wide sample of extant mammals of known behavior to determine how elbow anatomy reflects forearm use. We then employ this information to investigate the predatory behavior of Thylacoleo. A Principal Components Analysis indicates that Thylacoleo is the only carnivorous mammal to cluster with extant taxa that have an extreme degree of forearm maneuverability, such as primates and arboreal xenarthrans (pilosans). A Canonical Variates Analysis confirms that Thylacoleo had forearm maneuverability intermediate between wombats (terrestrial) and arboreal mammals, and a much greater degree of maneuverability than any living carnivoran placental. A Linear Discriminant Analysis computed to separate the elbow morphology of arboreal mammals from terrestrial ones shows that Thylacoleo was primarily terrestrial but with some climbing abilities. We infer from our results that Thylacoleo used its forelimbs for grasping or manipulating prey to much higher degree than its supposed extant placental counterpart, the African lion (Panthera leo). The use of the large and retractable claw on the semi-opposable thumb of Thylacoleo for potentially slashing and disemboweling prey is discussed in the light of this new evidence.
Data from: Ecological immunization: In situ training of free-ranging predatory lizards reduces their vulnerability to invasive toxic prey
In Australia, large native predators are fatally poisoned when they ingest invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina). As a result, the spread of cane toads has caused catastrophic population declines in these predators. Immediately prior to the arrival of toads at a floodplain in the Kimberley region, we induced conditioned taste aversion in free-ranging varanid lizards (Varanus panoptes), by offering them small cane toads. By the end of the 18-month study, only one of 31 untrained lizards had survived longer than 110 days, compared to more than half (nine of 16) of trained lizards; the maximum known survival of a trained lizard in the presence of toads was 482 days. In situ aversion training (releasing small toads in advance of the main invasion front) offers a logistically simple and feasible way to buffer the impact of invasive toads on apex predators.
Data from: The pursuit strategy of predatory bluefish
A predator's ability to capture prey depends critically on how it coordinates its approach in response to a prey's motion. Flying insects, bats, and raptors are capable of capturing prey with a strategy known as parallel navigation, which allows a predator to move directly toward the anticipated point of interception. It is unclear if predators using other modes of locomotion are capable of employing this strategy when pursuing evasive prey. Using kinematic measurements and mathematical modeling, we tested whether bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) pursue prey fish (Fundulus heteroclitus) with parallel navigation. We found that the directional changes of bluefish were not consistent with this strategy, but rather were predicted by a strategy known as deviated pursuit. Although deviated pursuit requires few sensory cues and relatively modest motor coordination, a comparison of mathematical models suggested negligible differences in path length from parallel navigation, largely due to the acceleration exhibited by bluefish near the end of a pursuit. Therefore, the strategy of bluefish is unlike flying predators, but offers comparable performance with potentially more robust control that may be well-suited to the visual system and habitat of fishes. These findings offer a foundation for understanding the sensing and locomotor control of predatory fishes.
Data from: 18S rRNA metabarcoding diet analysis of the predatory fish community across seasonal changes in prey availability
Predator-prey relationships are important ecological interactions, affecting biotic community composition and energy flow through a system, and are of interest to ecologists and managers. Morphological diet analysis has been the primary method used to quantify the diets of predators, but emerging molecular techniques using genetic data can provide more accurate estimates of relative diet composition. This study used sequences from the 18S V9 rRNA barcoding region to identify prey items in the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of predatory fishes. Predator GI samples were taken from the Black River, Cheboygan Co., MI, USA (n=367 samples, 12 predator species) during periods of high prey availability, including the larval stage of regionally threatened lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque 1817) in late May/early June of 2015 and of relatively lower prey availability in early July of 2015. DNA was extracted and sequenced from 355 samples (96.7%), and prey DNA was identified in 286 of the 355 samples (80.6%). Prey were grouped into 33 ecologically significant taxonomic groups based on the lowest taxonomic level sequences that could be identified using sequences available on GenBank. Changes in the makeup of diet composition, dietary overlap, and predator preference were analyzed comparing the periods of high and low prey abundance. Some predator species exhibited compositional changes in diet. Dietary overlap was slightly but significantly higher during the period of high prey abundance. There was little evidence for large changes in predator preference between the two periods. This study demonstrates the utility of molecular diet analysis in understanding predator-prey interactions in complex freshwater communities.
Data from: Revealing kleptoparasitic and predatory tendencies in an African mammal community using camera traps: a comparison of spatiotemporal approaches
Camera trap data are increasingly being used to characterise relationships between the spatiotemporal activity patterns of sympatric mammal species, often with a view to inferring inter-specific interactions. In this context, we attempted to characterise the kleptoparasitic and predatory tendencies of spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta and lions Panthera leo from photographic data collected across 54 camera trap stations and two dry seasons in Tanzania's Ruaha National Park. We applied four different methods of quantifying spatiotemporal associations, including one strictly temporal approach (activity pattern overlap), one strictly spatial approach (co-occupancy modelling), and two spatiotemporal approaches (co-detection modelling and temporal spacing at shared camera trap sites). We expected a kleptoparasitic relationship between spotted hyaenas and lions to result in a positive spatiotemporal association, and further hypothesised that the association between lions and their favourite prey in Ruaha, the giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis and the zebra Equus quagga, would be stronger than those observed with non-preferred prey species (the impala Aepyceros melampus and the dikdik Madoqua kirkii). Only approaches incorporating both the temporal and spatial components of camera trap data resulted in significant associative patterns. The latter were particularly sensitive to the temporal resolution chosen to define species detections (i.e. occasion length), and only revealed a significant positive association between lion on spotted hyaena detections, as well as a tendency for both species to follow each other at camera trap sites, during the dry season of 2013, but not that of 2014. In both seasons, observed spatiotemporal associations between lions and each of the four herbivore species considered provided no convincing or consistent indications of any predatory preferences. Our study suggests that, when making inferences on inter-specific interactions from camera trap data, due regards should be given to the potential behavioural and methodological processes underlying observed spatiotemporal patterns.
Data from: Food and specific macronutrient limitation in an assemblage of predatory beetles
Habitats vary in food resources with carnivores often being prey limited, but it is unclear whether habitats facilitate a nutritionally balanced diet. Two paradigms in nutritional ecology, ecological stoichiometry and nutritional geometry, predict that carnivores are limited mainly by protein or lipid, respectively. Using the carabid beetle Anchomenus dorsalis and 10 other predatory beetles from agricultural fields, we developed and tested two simple procedures for quantifying macronutrient-specific habitat conditions without requiring information about the natural prey. Both procedures assume that predators forage for nutrients rather than specific prey. Our results show that 10 of 11 species were food limited. Five species were lipid limited and one species was protein limited in the field. Co-existing predator species showed considerable segregation of fundamental macronutritional niches. A linear relationship between specific nutrient limitation and the target lipid:protein (L:P) intake ratio indicates that species with high L:P target are more protein limited while species with low L:P target are more lipid limited. The study illustrates how species within a natural assemblage vary in nutritional niche and in specific nutrient limitation.
FIGURE 1 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURE 1. Map of South Africa showing sites from which predatory mites were collected (circles) and reference localities (squares).
FIGURES 48–53 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURES 48–53. Rhagidia meyerae sp. nov., female. 48. dorsal idiosoma; 49. ventral idiosoma; 50 chelicera; 51. palp tibiotarsus and genu; 52. distal end of tarsus I; 53. distal end of tarsus II. Scale bar = 100 µm for 48, 49, 80 µm for 50, 51, 52, 53.
FIGURES 29–33 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURES 29–33. Gamasiphoides lootsi sp. nov., female. 29. dorsal idiosoma; 30. ventral idiosoma; 31. epistome; 32. chelicera; 33. hypostome. Scale bar = 100 µm for 29, 30, 60 µm for 31, 32, 33.
FIGURE 54 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURE 54. Rhagidia meyerae sp. nov., female. Epimeral setae on coxae I, II, III. Scale bar = 100 µm.
FIGURE 9 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURE 9. Bdellodes edentata sp. nov., female, coxa I and integument between coxa I and base of gnathosoma. cx1 = coxa I. Scale bar = 100 µm.
FIGURE 8 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURE 8. Bdellodes edentata sp. nov., female, dorsal integument. oo = anterior sensillum; po = posterior sensillum; mps = median propodosomal seta. Scale bar = 100 µm.
FIGURES 26–28 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURES 26–28. Macrocheles propinquus sp. nov., male. 26. chelicera; 27. tibia, genu and femur of leg II; 28. trochanter, femur and genu of leg IV. Scale bar = 100 µm for 27, 28, 80 µm for 26.
FIGURES 21–25 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURES 21–25. Macrocheles propinquus sp. nov., female. 21. dorsal idiosoma; 22. ventral idiosoma; 23 epistome; 24. chelicera; 25. hypostome. Scale bar = 100 µm for 21, 22, 50 µm for 23, 24, 25.
FIGURES 43–47 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURES 43–47. Pachylaelaps meganalis sp. nov., female. 43. dorsal idiosoma; 44. ventral idiosoma; 45. epistome; 46. chelicera; 47. hypostome. Scale bar = 100 µm for 43, 44, 80 µm for 45, 46, 47.
FIGURES 37–42 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURES 37–42. Gamasiphoides rykei sp. nov., female. 37. dorsal idiosoma; 38. ventral idiosoma; 39. epistome; 40. chelicera; 41. hypostome; 42. palp genu. Scale bar = 100 µm for 37, 38, 50 µm for 40, 41. 42, 30 µm for 39.
FIGURES 10–15. 10 in Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae)
FIGURES 10–15. 10. Hypoaspis calcarata sp. nov., female. 10, dorsal idiosoma. 11, ventral idiosoma. 12, hypostome. 13, chelicera. 14, epistome. 15, femur, genu and tibia I. Scale bar 100 µm for 10, 11, 50 µm for 12, 13, 14, 15.
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