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1,551 results for “prey”
The roles of climate and alternative prey in explaining 142 years of declining willow ptarmigan hunting yield
<p><span>Long time series are important because they extend back to an era when animal populations were less influenced by habitat loss and climate change. Annual fluctuations in harvest yields are good proxies for large changes in population size and may reveal underlying ecological processes. From a variety of sources, we built a 142-year long time series representing the mean daily catch (CPUE) of willow ptarmigan <em>Lagopus lagopus</em> in southeastern Norway. CPUE decreased over the 142 years, from 35 birds shot per day in early years to around two in the last years. There were three periods in the time series: a first period with 3-5 year cycles of high peaks and low troughs (1872-1900), a short second period with similarly high peaks, variable depth of troughs and variable cyclicity (1901-1916), and a third long period with much lower peaks and faded cycles (1917-2013). Yearly variation in CPUE was best explained by an interacting effect of small rodent peak years and period, with a reduced positive effect of rodents in the last period, and a positive effect of the North Atlantic Oscillation index in spring and early summer. None of the weather variables with significant time trends explained any variation in CPUE and we could therefore not attribute the decline in CPUE directly to climate change. We postulate that a long-term dampening of the amplitude in small rodent cycles combined with an increase in red fox numbers, have increased predation on alternative prey like ptarmigan, and prevented the populations from reaching their earlier peaks. Even though the present population of willow ptarmigan is only a fraction of what it was in former days, we recommend light hunting to motivate for monitoring and to keep public attention on the bird. </span></p>
Prey-driven behavioral habitat use in a low-energy ambush predator
<p>Food acquisition is an important modulator of animal behavior and habitat selection that can affect fitness. Optimal foraging theory predicts that predators should select habitat patches to maximize their foraging success and net energy gain, likely achieved by targeting areas with high prey availability. However, it is debated whether prey availability drives fine-scale habitat selection for predators. We assessed whether an ambush predator, the timber rattlesnake (<i>Crotalus horridus</i>), exhibits optimal foraging site selection based on the spatial distribution and availability of prey. We used passive infrared camera trap detections of potential small mammal prey (<i>Peromyscus</i> spp., <i>Tamias striatus</i>, and <i>Sciurus</i> spp.) to generate variables of prey availability across the study area and used whether a snake was observed in a foraging location or not to model optimal foraging in timber rattlesnakes. Our models of small mammal spatial distributions broadly predicted that prey availability was greatest in mature deciduous forests, but <i>T. striatus</i> and <i>Sciurus</i> spp. exhibited greater spatial heterogeneity compared to <i>Peromyscus</i> spp. We found the spatial distribution of cumulative small mammal encounters (i.e. overall prey availability), rather than the distribution of any one species, to be highly predictive of snake foraging. Timber rattlesnakes appear to forage where the probability of encountering prey is greatest. Our study provides evidence for fine-scale optimal foraging in a low-energy, ambush predator and offers new insights into drivers of snake foraging and habitat selection. </p>
Selfish herd effects depend on prey crypsis
<p>Determining why some animals form groups while others remain solitary is a longstanding goal in behavioural ecology. Group formation can help mitigate predation risk through a variety of mechanisms, including risk dilution and group vigilance. The 'selfish herd hypothesis' proposes that prey can reduce their risk by minimizing the area around which all points in that area are closer to them than to another conspecific (i.e., by minimising their 'domain of danger'). This hypothesis assumes that an individual's predation risk is proportional to the size of its domain of danger, however, the relationship between risk and proximity to conspecifics may depend on additional factors. Specifically, approaching conspecifics may be costly for prey that rely on crypsis because group formation increases detectability. Using model prey, we experimentally manipulated prey colouration as well as the domain of danger, then tracked their 'survival' under natural field conditions. We found that an individual's predation risk increased with their domain of danger for conspicuous (red) prey, but decreased with the domain of danger in cryptic (green) prey. Our results are consistent with patterns in natural systems and indicate that the relationship between predation risk and domain of danger depends on additional factors like prey colouration.</p>
Figure 1. Evidence found under a in A short-lived mantispid in an Asemonea nest: parasitoid and prey?
Figure 1. Evidence found under a leaf on the Indraprastha Organic Farm of the senior author (Abhijith) at Mysuru, Karnataka, India (16 JUL 2022). 1, Recently-fed female Asemonea tenuipes. 2, Mantispid cocoon and exuvium. 3, Fragment of mantispid. 4-6, Relative positions of spider, cocoon, and mantispid. 7, Earlier (20 AUG 2019) photograph of an adult mantispid that emerged from the nest of a different A. tenuipes, at the same locality (Abhijith & Hill 2019).
Figure 3 in Record of Phaeacius cf. lancearius (Araneae: Salticidae: Spartaeini) preying on Hersilia sp. (Araneae: Hersiliidae) in Karnataka
Figure 3. Hersilia spp. on tree trunks in Sirsi, Uttarakannada, Karnataka. 1, Female holding insect prey. Below, center, a small kleptoparasitic fly (Diptera) can be seen. 2, A different female Hersilia sp., with leg RII holding a silk trap line far to the right. Curiously, Hersilia have very short legs III, but these might be used to wrap prey. 3, Detail showing an extended leg LII holding a silk trap line. 4, Female feeding on wrapped prey. 5, Detailed view of a female face showing elevated position of eyes, above the flattened carapace. Darker bands of setae probably make the eyes less visible to potential prey. 6, Dorsal view of posterior opisthosoma showing elongated posterior lateral spinnerets and legs IV. Note the irregular skein of silk laid down beneath the spinnerets. The relative length of legs and spinnerets varies greatly between the various species of Hersilia.
Figure 1 in Record of Phaeacius cf. lancearius (Araneae: Salticidae: Spartaeini) preying on Hersilia sp. (Araneae: Hersiliidae) in Karnataka
Figure 1. Five views of a female Phaeacius cf. lancearius feeding on a Hersilia sp, on a tree trunk in Sulia, Karnataka, India (17 NOV 2019). Note the regenerated left pedipalp of this Phaeacius.
Figure 2 in Record of Phaeacius cf. lancearius (Araneae: Salticidae: Spartaeini) preying on Hersilia sp. (Araneae: Hersiliidae) in Karnataka
Figure 2. Phaeacius spp. on tree trunks in Sirsi, Uttarakannada, Karnataka. 1-2, 5-7 Females. 4, 8-11, Males. 11, Detail of inset from (10), showing male. These spiders are very difficult to find as they move little on a matching background.
Can native predators be used as a stepping stone to reduce prey naivety to novel predators?
<p>Predator naivety negatively affects reintroduction success and this threat is exacerbated when prey encounters predators with which they have had no evolutionary experience. While methods have been developed to inculcate fear into such predator-naïve individuals, none have been uniformly successful. Exposing ontogenetically- and evolutionary-naïve individuals firstly to native predators may be an effective stepping stone to improved responses to evolutionarily novel predators. We focused on greater bilbies (Macrotis lagotis) and capitalised on a multi-year mammalian recovery experiment whereby western quolls (Dasyurus geoffroii) were reintroduced into parts of a large fenced reserve that contained a population of naïve bilbies. We quantified a suite of antipredator behaviours and measures of general wariness across quoll-exposed and quoll-naive bilby populations. We then translocated both quoll-exposed and quoll-naïve individuals into a large enclosure that contained feral cats (Felis catus) and monitored several behaviours. We found that bilbies can respond appropriately to quolls but found only limited support that experience with quolls better prepared bilbies to respond to cats. Both populations of bilbies rapidly modified their behaviour in a similar manner following their reintroduction to a novel environment. These results may have emerged due to insufficient prior exposure to quolls, inappropriate behavioural tests or insufficient predation risk during cat exposure. Alternatively, quolls and cats are only distantly related and may not share sufficient similarities in their predatory cues or behaviour to support such a learning transfer. Testing this stepping stone hypothesis with more closely-related predator species and under higher predation risk would be informative.</p>
Ballistic high powered spider webs overcome dangerous prey defenses
<p>Spiders exhibit a remarkable range of silk-based predatory tactics, but usually avoid capturing ants since they are highly defended. Here we report on a spider that exclusively hunts aggressive <em>Oecophylla</em> ants by isolating and immobilising individual workers using a extraordinary ballistic snare that lures ants, then propels them into its core web at extreme speed. By serial arrangements of tension lines, small pre-strains of the silk are sufficient to reach power densities of up to two megawatts per kilogram actuator mass, which surpasses the performance of other natural spring-actuated systems. Thus, the ultimate prey specialisation in these spiders has led to the evolution of extreme web performance.</p>
Long-term data reveal fitness costs of anthropogenic prey depletion for a subordinate competitor, the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus
<p>Within carnivore guilds, dominant competitors (e.g., lions, <em>Panthera leo</em>) are limited primarily by the density of prey, while subordinate competitors (e.g., African wild dogs, <em>Lycaon pictus</em>) have been limited by the density of dominant competitors. Historically, the fitness and population density of subordinate competitors have not been tightly linked to prey density. However, populations of large herbivores have declined substantially across sub-Saharan Africa due to human impacts, and where prey depletion is severe, fitness costs for competitive subordinates may begin to outweigh the benefits of competitive release. Using long-term intensive monitoring of African wild dogs in Zambia's Luangwa Valley Ecosystem (LVE), we tested the effects of prey depletion on survival and reproduction. Our study area included four contiguous regions that varied in protection, prey density, and lion density. We fit Bayesian Cormack-Jolly-Seber and closed-capture models to estimate effects on survival and population density, and generalized linear models to estimate effects on reproductive success. We found that the LVE is a stronghold for wild dogs, with an estimated median density of 4.0 individuals/100 km<sup>2</sup>. Despite this high density, survival and reproduction differed among regions, and both components of fitness were substantially reduced in the region with the lowest prey density. Anthropogenic prey depletion is becoming an important limiting factor for African wild dogs. If prey depletion (or any other form of habitat degradation) becomes severe enough that its fitness costs outweigh the benefits of competitive release, such changes can fundamentally alter the balance between limiting factors for competitively subordinate species.</p>
Pest species preyed upon by bats and the crop types affected by them.
<p>This database compiles the pest species consumed by bats and the crop types they attack, as part of the supplementary material of the article entitled "<strong>Pest suppression by bats and management strategies to favour it: a global review</strong>", published in the journal Biological Reviews.</p> <p>The crop types were classified into several categories this work: cereals (e.g. wheat, maize, corn, rice, barley, sorghum); forest (e.g. beech, oak, poplar, willow); fruit crops (e.g. apple, pear, apricot, strawberry, cranberry); grasses (e.g. sugarcane, turfs, pastures); legumes (e.g. pea, bean, alfalfa, soybean); ornamental (e.g. garden species); other (cotton, tea, tobacco, hop, flax, rubber tree, hemp, peppermint, jute, rapeseed, kenaf, ashwagandha, mushrooms, honeybees); stored products (e.g. stored cereals, stored tobacco, dried fruits); and vegetables (e.g. tomato, lettuce, spinach, potato, onion).</p>
Figure 1 in Prey capture behavior in the East African scorpions Parabuthus leiosoma (Ehrenberg, 1828) and P. pallidus Pocock, 1895 (Scorpiones: Buthidae)
Figure 1: Parabuthus leiosoma (Ehrenberg, 1828) in the active position
Bats actively use leaves as specular reflectors to detect acoustically camouflaged prey
<p>Measured target strength from 541 positions for 5 different frequency bands. Bat positions in incidence angles of for 33 flight paths.</p>
Percentage of individuals per size class of available prey for Setophaga petechia gundlachi
<p>Supplemetary materials 3. Percentage of individuals per size class of available prey for <em>Setophaga petechia gundlachi </em>during the reproductive season in Bajo de Santa Ana (n = 159) and Laguna de Cobre-Itabo (n = 813) of Havana, Cuba.</p>
Fig. 5. E in First host record of Epipompilus (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Brazil and discussion of prey carriage mechanism
Fig. 5. E. tucumanus ♀ metasoma in dorsolateral view.
Fig. 7. E in First host record of Epipompilus (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Brazil and discussion of prey carriage mechanism
Fig. 7. E. tucumanus ♀ frontal view of head.
Fig. 3. E in First host record of Epipompilus (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Brazil and discussion of prey carriage mechanism
Fig. 3. E. tucumanus ♀ dorsal view of head and thorax.
Fig. 2. E in First host record of Epipompilus (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Brazil and discussion of prey carriage mechanism
Fig. 2. E. tucumanus ♀ lateral habitus.
Fig. 6. E in First host record of Epipompilus (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Brazil and discussion of prey carriage mechanism
Fig. 6. E. tucumanus ♀ hind tibia.
Figure. Nymph of assassin bug (Harpactorini) preying a Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893 juvenile. in Predation of a scorpion (Scorpiones: Buthidae) by an assassin bug (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
Figure. Nymph of assassin bug (Harpactorini) preying a Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893 juvenile.
ScienceDex guides
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These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.