Find research datasets worth reusing

openCC (other)May 2024View details →

Sublethal effects of pesticides on predator-prey interactions in amphibians, 2008.

Increasing evidence suggests that contaminants in the environment can have important consequences on organismal interactions. While we have a good understanding of the lethal effects of contaminants on organisms, we have a weak understanding of how contaminants can affect organisms by altering the interactions that they have with other species in the community. Using tadpoles of two anuran species (Bullfrogs, Lithobates [Rana] catesbeianus; Green Frogs, L. clamitans), we investigated the effects of low nominal concentrations (1 and 10 ppb) of two pesticides (malathion and endosulfan) on tadpole activity and survival when exposed to four predator treatments (no predators; water bugs, Belostoma flumineum; newts, Notophthalmus viridescens; and dragonfly larvae, Anax junius). In both anuran species, adding predators reduced tadpole activity and survival, with increasing rates of mortality occurring with water bugs, newts, and dragonflies, respectively. Additionally, the highest concentration of endosulfan caused tadpole mortality after 48 hrs. Most significant, tadpole species also experienced interactive effects of predators and pesticides on survival after 48 hrs. In Bullfrog treatments, all predators reduced the amount of tadpole mortality when exposed to endosulfan. In Green Frogs, additive negative effects occurred, except that newts increased the tadpole mortality when exposed to endosulfan. Our findings illustrate that pesticide effects on predator–prey interactions are often complex and have the potential to alter aquatic community composition.

openCC (other)May 2024View details →

Bottom-up meets top-down: Leaf litter inputs influence predator-prey interactions in wetlands, 2011.

While the common conceptual role of resource subsidies is one of bottom-up nutrient and energy supply, inputs can also alter the structural complexity of environments. This can further impact resource flow by providing refuge for prey and decreasing predation rates. However, the direct influence of different organic subsidies on predator–prey dynamics is rarely examined. In forested wetlands, leaf litter inputs are a dominant energy and nutrient resource and they can also increase benthic surface cover and decrease water clarity, which may provide refugia for prey and subsequently reduce predation rates. In outdoor mesocosms, we investigated how inputs of leaf litter that alter benthic surface cover and water clarity influence the mortality and growth of gray treefrog tadpoles (Hyla versicolor) in the presence of free-swimming adult newts (Notophthalmus viridiscens), which are visual predators. To manipulate surface cover, we added either oak (Quercus spp.) or red pine (Pinus resinosa) litter and crossed these treatments with three levels of red maple (Acer rubrum) litter leachate to manipulate water clarity. In contrast to our predictions, benthic surface cover had no effect on tadpole survival while darkening the water caused lower survival. In addition, individual tadpole mass was lowest in the high maple leachate treatments, suggesting an interaction between bottom-up effects of leaf litter and topdown effects of predation risk that altered mortality and growth of tadpoles. Our results indicate that realistic changes in forest tree composition, which cause concomitant changes in litter inputs to wetlands, can substantially alter community interactions.

openCC (other)Jun 2024View details →

What doesn’t kill you makes you sluggish: How sublethal pesticides alter predator-prey interactions, 2004.

Pesticides commonly occur in ecological communities at relatively low concentrations, leading to growing interest in determining the sublethal effects of pesticides. Such effects should affect individuals and, in turn, alter interspecific interactions. We sought to determine how sublethal concentrations (0.1 and 1.0 mg/L) of two common pesticides (carbaryl and malathion) affected predator and prey behavior as well as subsequent predation rates. We conducted a series of experiments using three species of larval amphibians (Gray Treefrogs, Hyla versicolor; Green Frogs, Rana clamitans; and American Bullfrogs, R. catesbeiana) and three species of their predators (larval dragonflies, Anax junius; adult water bugs, Belostoma flumineum; and adult Red-spotted Newts, Notophthalmus viridescens). We found that the pesticides frequently reduced the activity of all three tadpole species. For the two invertebrate predators (Anax and Belostoma), the pesticides were lethal, precluding us from examining sublethal effects on predator–prey interactions. However, newt survival was high and the addition of the pesticides reduced the predation rates of newts in one of the three tadpole species. There were no effects of the pesticides on the striking frequency of the newts or on their prey capture efficiency. Thus, the mechanism underlying the pesticide-induced reduction in predation rates remains unclear. What is clear is that sublethal concentrations of pesticides have the potential to alter prey behavior and species interactions and thereby alter the composition of ecological communities.

openCC (other)Jun 2020View details →

The Interaction between Competition and Predation: A Meta-analysis of Field Experiments

Ecologists working with a range of organisms and environments have carried out manipulative field experiments that enable us to ask questions about the interaction between competition and predation (including herbivory) and about the relative strength of competition and predation in the field. Evaluated together, such a collection of studies can offer insight into the importance and function of these factors in nature. Therefore, this dataset was created by combining the results of 20 articles reporting on 39 published field experiments on the interaction between competition and predation. These experiments tested whether the presence of predators affects the intensity of competitive effects. The combined data was then analyzed using a factorial meta-analysis technique, the results of which were published in the study titled The Interaction between Competition and Predation: A Meta‐analysis of Field Experiments (Gurevitch et al., 2000).

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2019View details →

Fig. 8 in Foraging behavior interactions between the invasive Nile Tilapia (Cichliformes: Cichlidae) and three large native predators

Fig. 8. Activity (inactive, swimming and avoidance) by the Nile Tilapia (mean ± SD) in the tanks with Pseudoplatystoma corruscans (white circles), Salminus brasiliensis (white squares) and Brycon orbignyanus (black triangles), for 0%, 50%, 100% and RD treatments. The three-way ANOVA for these data suggested interaction (P =0.029) among species, structural complexity and activity. The avoidance activity was not observed.

dryad40/100

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-zeroSep 2020View details →

dryad40/100

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-zeroDec 2023View details →

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2021View details →

Stronger negative species interactions in the tropics supported by a global analysis of nest predation in songbirds

Original data, phylogeny and list of studies from: "Stronger negative species interactions in the tropics supported by a global analysis of nest predation in songbirds"

Fig. 2 in Host selection and potential predation in the host-parasite interaction between the isopod Tachaea chinensis and freshwater host species

Fig. 2. Schematic representation of the experimental system used to test the host selection behavior of the isopods in the single-host treatments. A: Tachaea chinensis at 20-min acclimation. B: T. chinensis after release.

Fig. 3 in Host selection and potential predation in the host-parasite interaction between the isopod Tachaea chinensis and freshwater host species

Fig. 3. Schematic representation of the experimental system used to test the host selection behavior of the isopods in the common vs un-common host treatments. A: Tachaea chinensis at 20-min acclimation. B: T. chinensis after release.

Fig. 7 in Host selection and potential predation in the host-parasite interaction between the isopod Tachaea chinensis and freshwater host species

Fig. 7. Average predation proportion of Tachaea chinensis in each freshwater decapod's species treatment. Fishers exact test, *P <0.05, **P <0.01.

Fig. 9 in Host selection and potential predation in the host-parasite interaction between the isopod Tachaea chinensis and freshwater host species

Fig. 9. Attachments of Tachaea chinensis on various freshwater decapods during this study. The arrows indicate the position of the isopod on the host. (a) T. chinensis on the left-side of the carapace of Palaemon paucidens; (b) T. chinensis on the right-side of the carapace of Procambarus clarkii; (c) T. chinensis attached on the right-side of the carapace of Neocaridina spp.; and (d) T. chinensis initially clinging on the abdomen of Macrobrachium nipponense.

Fig. 5 in Host selection and potential predation in the host-parasite interaction between the isopod Tachaea chinensis and freshwater host species

Fig. 5. Selection percentage of Tachaea chinensis in the single-host treatments. Each treatment was repeated 10 times (one isopod per treatment); *: P <0.05, ***: P <0.001, ****: P <0.0001 (Binomial test of significance).

Fig. 1 in Host selection and potential predation in the host-parasite interaction between the isopod Tachaea chinensis and freshwater host species

Fig. 1. Eight different host options were used to investigate the host selection of Tachaea. chinensis isopods. (a) Palaemon paucidens; (b) Palaemon sinensis; (c) Neocaridina spp.; (d) Macrobrachium nipponense; (e) Procambarus clarkii; (f) Rhodeus ocellatus; (g) Oryzias latipes and (h) Artificial P. paucidens.

Fig. 4 in Host selection and potential predation in the host-parasite interaction between the isopod Tachaea chinensis and freshwater host species

Fig. 4. The experimental system used to test the potential predation of Tachaea chinensis by freshwater host species.

Fig. 10 in Host selection and potential predation in the host-parasite interaction between the isopod Tachaea chinensis and freshwater host species

Fig. 10. Prey handling procedure of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii (carapace length: 19 mm). (1) the crayfish P. clarkii approaching an 8 mm body length Tachaea chinensis; (2)–(5) P. clarkii catching and manipulating the prey using its pair of chelipeds; (6)–(8) the crayfish began consuming the prey by placing it directly into its mandibles.

Fig. 6 in Host selection and potential predation in the host-parasite interaction between the isopod Tachaea chinensis and freshwater host species

Fig. 6. Selection percentage of Tachaea chinensis when subjected to un-common host selection experiments. Each treatment was repeated 10 times (one isopod per treatment); ***: P <0.001 (Binomial test of significance).