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Figure 5 in The organs of prey capture and digestion in the miniature predatory bivalve Spheniopsis brasiliensis (Anomalodesmata: Cuspidarioidea: Spheniopsidae) expose a novel life-history trait

Figure 5. Spheniopsis brasiliensis. Transverse sections through the (A) oesophagous; (B) crystalline style sac; (C) mid gut; (D) hind gut; and (E) rectum, all drawn to the same scale. CC, Collagen coat; CS, crystalline style.

Figure 8. Spheniopsis brasiliensis. A transverse section through a in The organs of prey capture and digestion in the miniature predatory bivalve Spheniopsis brasiliensis (Anomalodesmata: Cuspidarioidea: Spheniopsidae) expose a novel life-history trait

Figure 8. Spheniopsis brasiliensis. A transverse section through a single digestive tubule. AM, Amoebocyte; CRC, crypt cell; DC, digestive cell.

Figure 4. Spheniopsis brasiliensis. A in The organs of prey capture and digestion in the miniature predatory bivalve Spheniopsis brasiliensis (Anomalodesmata: Cuspidarioidea: Spheniopsidae) expose a novel life-history trait

Figure 4. Spheniopsis brasiliensis. A transverse section through the stomach in the region of the conjoined style sac and mid gut. CS, Crystalline style; CSMG, conjoined style sac and mid gut; CSS, crystalline style sac; FIPI, fragments of ingested prey; GS, gastric shield; MG, mid gut; SC, secretory cells.

Figure 7 in The organs of prey capture and digestion in the miniature predatory bivalve Spheniopsis brasiliensis (Anomalodesmata: Cuspidarioidea: Spheniopsidae) expose a novel life-history trait

Figure 7. Spheniopsis brasiliensis. Histological sections through the visceral mass and ingested prey items. (A) A transverse section through the stomach with ingested prey items inside it. (B, C) The remains of captured and ingested ostracods. (D) The skeletal remains of an unknown prey item. CSS, Crystalline style sac; GS, gastric shield; IPI, ingested prey item; ST, stomach.

Figure 12. Spheniopsis brasiliensis. A section through a in The organs of prey capture and digestion in the miniature predatory bivalve Spheniopsis brasiliensis (Anomalodesmata: Cuspidarioidea: Spheniopsidae) expose a novel life-history trait

Figure 12. Spheniopsis brasiliensis. A section through a portion of a gonadial follicle. C, Cuticle; DN, dividing nucleus; DO, developing oocyte; EO, encapsulated oocyte; GE, germinal epithelium; N, nucleus; RT, regressing testes; STA, stalk; SPZ, spermatozoan; Y, yolk.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2016View details →

Figure 2 in Reptiles as principal prey? Adaptations for durophagy and prey selection by jaguar (Panthera onca)

Figure 2. Percentage of Jaguar (Panthera onca) diet composed by peccaries or armadillos compared with cougars (Puma concolor). Jaguar prey more extensively over armoured and dangerous prey. Data were pooled from reviewed literature where faeces of cougars and jaguars were collected at the same site. Bars represents means while whiskers represent standard errors for each prey group.

opencc-zeroSep 2020View details →

Habitat features and performance interact to determine the outcomes of terrestrial predator-prey pursuits

1. Animals are responsive to predation risk, often seeking safer habitats at the cost of foraging rewards. Although previous research has examined how habitat features affect detection by predators, little is known about how the interaction of habitat features, sensory cues, and physical performance capabilities affect prey escape performance once detected. 2. To investigate how specific habitat features affect predation risk, we developed an individual-based model of terrestrial predator–prey pursuits in habitats with programmable features. 3. We ran simulations varying the relative performance capabilities of predator and prey as well as the availability and abundance of refuges and obstacles in the habitat. 4. Prey were more likely to avoid detection in complex habitats containing a higher abundance of obstacles; however, if detected, prey escape probability was dependent on both the abundance of refuges and obstacles and the predator's relative performance capabilities. Our model accurately predicted the relative escape success for impala escaping from cheetah in open savanna versus acacia thicket habitat, though escape success was consistently underestimated. 5. Our model provides a mechanistic explanation for the differential effects of habitat on survival for different predator–prey pairs. Its flexible nature means that our model can be refined to simulate specific systems and could have applications toward management programs for species threatened by habitat loss and predation.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2020View details →

Marine amphipods as a new live prey for ornamental aquaculture: exploring the potential of Parhyale hawaiensis and Elasmopus pectenicrus

Supplementary data from the scientific paper contribution " Marine amphipods as a new live prey for ornamental aquaculture: exploring the potential of Parhyale hawaiensis and Elasmopus pectenicrus".   Marine amphipods are gaining attention in aquaculture as a natural live food alternative to traditional preys such as Artemia, as they are rich in essential nutrients such as the lipids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are an important natural diet of many marine fish of commercial interest, and are relatively easy to culture in large numbers. However, there are no established culture techniques and a deeper knowledge on the reproductive biology, nutritional profiles and culture methodologies is still needed to potentiate the optimization of mass production. The present study assessed for the first time the aquaculture potential of Parhyale hawaiensis and Elasmopus pectenicrus, two cosmopolitan marine gammarids (as per traditional schemes of classification) that naturally proliferate in the wild and in aquaculture facilities. For that purpose, aspects of the population and reproductive biology of wild populations were characterized and then a series of laboratory-scale experiments were conducted to determine the amphipod productivity, the time needed to reach sexual maturity by the newborns (generation time), cannibalism degree, the effects of sex ratio on fecundity and the effects of diet (shrimp diet, plant-based diet and commercial fish diet) on fecundity and the juvenile growth. P. hawaiensis, unlike E. pectenicrus, was easily kept and propagated in laboratory conditions, performing exceedingly better than E. pectenicrus. P. hawaiensis showed a higher total length (9.3 ± 1.3 mm), wet weight (14.4 ± 6.2 mg), dry weight (10.5 ± 4.4 mg), females/males sex ratio in the wild (2.24), fecundity (12.8 ± 5.7 embryos per female), and gross energy content (16.71 ± 0.67 kJ g-1) with respect to E. pectenicrus. Although the P. hawaiensis juvenile growth was slightly reduced (marginally significant) by the use of a plant-based diet compared to a commercial shrimp and fish diet, fecundity was not affected, supporting the possible use of inexpensive diets to mass produce amphipods as live or frozen food. Possible limitations identified were their quite long generation times (50.9 ± 5.8 days) and relatively low fecundity levels (12.8 ± 5.7 embryos per female). With an observed productivity rate of 0.36 ± 0.08 juveniles per amphipod couple per day, P. hawaiensis could become a specialty feed for species that cannot easily transition to a formulated diet such as seahorses and other highly-priced marine ornamental species. Future studies should assess the nutritional value and to explore optimized medium- and large-scale production as well as self-producing biofloc systems taking advantage of the great dietary plasticity and environmental tolerance of the species.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

Data from: warming and top-down control of stage-structured prey: linking theory to patterns in natural systems

Warming has broad and often nonlinear impacts on organismal physiology and traits, allowing it to impact species interactions like predation through a variety of pathways that may be difficult to predict. Predictions are commonly based on short-term experiments and models, and these studies often yield conflicting results depending on the environmental context, spatiotemporal scale, and the predator and prey species considered. Thus, the accuracy of predicted changes in interaction strength, and their importance to the broader ecosystems they take place in, remain unclear. Here, we attempted to link one such set of predictions generated using theory, modeling, and controlled experiments to patterns in the natural abundance of prey across a broad thermal gradient. To do so, we first predicted how warming will impact a stage-structured predator-prey interaction in riverine rock pools between Pantala spp. dragonfly nymph predators and Aedes atropalpus mosquito larval prey. We then described temperature variation across a set of hundreds of riverine rock pools (n = 775) and leveraged this natural gradient to look for evidence for or against our model's predictions. Our model's predictions suggested that warming should weaken predator control of mosquito larval prey by accelerating their development and shrinking the window of time that aquatic dragonfly nymphs could consume them in. This was consistent with data collected in rock pool ecosystems, where the negative effects of dragonfly nymph predators on mosquito larval abundance were weaker in warmer pools. Our findings provide additional evidence to substantiate our model-derived predictions, while emphasizing the importance of assessing similar predictions using natural gradients of temperature whenever possible.

Fig. 4 in Comparative Biology Of Cave-Dwelling Spitting Spiders (Araneae: Scytodidae): Parental Care, Cooperative Prey-Capture, Cannibalism, Natal Dispersal And Reproductive Behaviour

Fig. 4. Scytodid egg-sac. (A) Typical egg-sac of Scytodes cavernarum, S. fusca and the Philippines Scytodes sp. 2; and (B) Scytodes magna egg-sac. Note the denser silk surrounding the eggs of S. magna.

Fig. 8 in Comparative Biology Of Cave-Dwelling Spitting Spiders (Araneae: Scytodidae): Parental Care, Cooperative Prey-Capture, Cannibalism, Natal Dispersal And Reproductive Behaviour

Fig. 8. Reproductive traits of five cave species of scytodids. (A) Mean (± S.E.) total number of spiderlings per female; (B) mean (± S.E.) egg hatching time (d); (C) mean (± S.E.) interval (d) between clutches; (D) mean (± S.E.) interval (d) between hatching and the next egg-sac production; (E) mean (± S.E.) number of clutches; and (F) mean (± S.E.) number of spiderlings per clutch. Different lower cases indicate significant differences.

Fig. 3 in Comparative Biology Of Cave-Dwelling Spitting Spiders (Araneae: Scytodidae): Parental Care, Cooperative Prey-Capture, Cannibalism, Natal Dispersal And Reproductive Behaviour

Fig. 3. Maternal care of egg-sacs in spitting spiders. (A) Scytodes fusca female carrying her egg-sac in her chelicerae. (B) Guangxi Scyloxes sp. 1 female on the surface of the outer cave walls, staying close to her egg-sac. The egg-sac is suspended by two to three threads. (C) Web constructed by S. magna female. Her egg-sac is suspended by a few threads at the centre of the web.

Fig. 2 in Comparative Biology Of Cave-Dwelling Spitting Spiders (Araneae: Scytodidae): Parental Care, Cooperative Prey-Capture, Cannibalism, Natal Dispersal And Reproductive Behaviour

Fig. 2. The 'cage within a cage' set-up for studying the natal dispersal patterns of scytodid spiders. Modified from Ruttan (1990).

Fig. 1 in Comparative Biology Of Cave-Dwelling Spitting Spiders (Araneae: Scytodidae): Parental Care, Cooperative Prey-Capture, Cannibalism, Natal Dispersal And Reproductive Behaviour

Fig. 1. Four species of cave scytodid spiders. (A) female and (B) male Scytodes magna, body length = 10.5 mm; (C) female and (D) male S. fusca, body length = 5.8 mm; (E) female Philippines Scytodes sp. 2, body length = 5.6mm; and (F) female S. cavernarum, body length = 5.3 mm.

Fig. 6 in Comparative Biology Of Cave-Dwelling Spitting Spiders (Araneae: Scytodidae): Parental Care, Cooperative Prey-Capture, Cannibalism, Natal Dispersal And Reproductive Behaviour

Fig. 6. Newly emerged Guangxi Scyloxes sp. 1 spiderlings spread out on the sparse silk nest, and female feeding on house fly alone. Body length of adult female = 11.5 mm.

Fig. 7 in Comparative Biology Of Cave-Dwelling Spitting Spiders (Araneae: Scytodidae): Parental Care, Cooperative Prey-Capture, Cannibalism, Natal Dispersal And Reproductive Behaviour

Fig. 7. Relationship between the days in which spiderlings dispersed and spiderling mass in five cave scytodid species. (A) Scytodes fusca; (B) S. carvernarum; (C) Philippines Scytodes sp. 2.; (D) S. magna; and (E) Guangxi Scyloxes sp. 1.

opencc-zeroDec 2023View details →

Beneath the Antarctic sea-ice: Fine-scale analysis of Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) behaviour and predator-prey interactions, using micro-sonar data in Terre Adélie

In this study, we tried to assess: i) whether and how female Weddell seals feed (frequency, depth, duration) during lactation, ii) what is their utilization of a limited foraging area (benthic or pelagic dives) as they are spatially constrained by the presence of their pup, and iii) how can we characterize their foraging dives and the approach/catching phases using new tools providing a more detailed description of their behaviour. Sonar tags were deployed on three breeding female Weddell seals in Terre Adélie (East Antarctica) in November 2019, to study animals' movements and dives at high resolution (3D acceleration, magnetometry, time and depth and GPS location), as well as information on prey and predator-prey interactions using acoustic data.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2023View details →

Supplementary information for Yamada et al. (2023): Natural history notes of the rare enigmatic ant Opamyrma hungvuong: A first glimpse of their preying behavior on centipedes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae)

Supprementary figure and videos (with original unedited source videos of behavior of Opamyrma hungvuong) for: Aiki Yamada, An Van Dang & Katsuyuki Eguchi (2023). Natural history notes of the rare enigmatic ant Opamyrma hungvuong: A first glimpse of their preying behavior on centipedes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae). Asian Myrmecology 16: e016009

opencc-zeroJan 2024View details →

An integrated population model reveals source-sink dynamics for competitively subordinate African wild dogs linked to anthropogenic prey depletion

<ol> <li>Many African large carnivore populations are declining due to decline of the herbivore populations on which they depend. The densities of apex carnivores like the lion and spotted hyena correlate strongly with prey density, but competitive subordinates like the African wild dog benefit from competitive release when the density of apex carnivores is low, so the expected effect of a simultaneous decrease in resources and dominant competitors is not obvious. </li> <li>Wild dogs in Zambia's Luangwa Valley Ecosystem occupy four ecologically similar areas with well-described differences in the densities of prey and dominant competitors, due to spatial variation in illegal offtake.</li> <li>We used long-term data to fit a Bayesian integrated population model (IPM) of the demography and dynamics of wild dogs in these four regions. The IPM used Leslie projection to link a Cormack-Jolly-Seber model of area-specific survival (allowing for individual heterogeneity in detection), a zero-inflated Poisson model of area-specific fecundity, and a state-space model of population size that used estimates from a closed mark-capture model as the counts from which (latent) population size was estimated.</li> <li>The IPM showed that both survival and reproduction were lowest in the region with the lowest density of preferred prey (puku, Kobus vardonii, and impala, Aepyceros melampus), despite little use of this area by lions. Survival and reproduction were highest in the region with the highest prey density, and intermediate in the two regions with intermediate prey density. The population growth rate (λ) was positive for the population as a whole, strongly positive in the region with the highest prey density, and strongly negative in the region with the lowest prey density.</li> <li>It has long been thought that the benefits of competitive release protect African wild dogs from the costs of low prey density. Our results show that the costs of prey depletion overwhelm the benefits of competitive release and cause local population decline where anthropogenic prey depletion is strong. Because competition is important in many guilds and humans are affecting resources of many types, it is likely that similarly fundamental shifts in population limitation are arising in many systems.</li> </ol>