Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
126
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.7.1
Dataset results
126 results for “Predator Prey Interactions”
California's Central Valley Project Improvement Act Predation Contact Point Study - 2022: Predator-prey interactions under low artificial lighting in a laboratory setting
The highest rates of piscivorous predation in the field have been recorded during crepuscular light levels associated with sunrise and sunset or artificial lighting at night (ALAN). We conducted a laboratory study where groups of predator-naïve, hatchery-raised juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to natural-origin piscivorous largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) under three light treatments representative of brighter crepuscular periods or direct ALAN illumination (“high” treatment), dimmer crepuscular periods or sky glow from ALAN (“medium” treatment), and night or no ALAN (“low” treatment). We then statistically evaluated potential associations between light treatment, prey group cohesion, and predator activity.
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.
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.
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.
Habitat features and performance interact to determine the outcomes of terrestrial predator-prey pursuits
<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>
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
<p>In this study, we tried to assess:<br>i) whether and how female Weddell seals feed (frequency, depth, duration) during lactation,<br>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<br>iii) how can we characterize their foraging dives and the approach/catching phases using new tools providing a more detailed description of their behaviour.<br>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.</p>
The Meadow Viper's perspective on the diet and predator-prey interactions of the reptile specialist Smooth Snake
<p>Despite its wide distribution, ecological data on the Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca) remains limited. Previous dietary analyses report that it mainly consumes lizards, but it also eats mammals and snakes. Little information is available on the habitat choice of the species, but vegetation structure and microtopography are considered the main factors determining occupancy of these snakes. As there is limited data on the diet of this species from Central Europe and it was considered a potential predator of the endangered Vipera ursinii rakosiensis (Hungarian Meadow Viper), we conducted a study concerning the diet of C. austriaca in one of the largest habitats of V. ursinii in Hungary. As there is no data on the occupancy of C. austriaca, we tested if the availability of certain prey species affects its occupancy C. austriaca individuals were captured to collect faecal samples, in which the remains were identified. In the obtained samples (n=53) we found remains of lizards (65%), mammals (20%), insects (12.5%) and Smooth Snake (2.5%). The consumed lizard species were Lacerta viridis, Podarcis tauricus and Lacerta agilis. We found no remains of V. ursinii in the faecal samples. We used dynamic two-species occupancy modeling to test if the occupancy of C. austriaca is linked to the presence of its prey species in the area. We found an interaction between C. austriaca and its lizard prey, as occupancy of C. austriaca had a higher probability when these species were present. We found no interaction between C. austriaca and V. ursinii. Our results support that C. austriaca mainly preys on lizards and its site occupancy depends on prey availability. Importantly, we found no evidence that C. austriaca consumes V. ursinii, which is further supported by the lack of interaction between the occupancy of C. austriaca and that of V. ursinii.</p>
Numerical response of predator to prey: Dynamic interactions and population cycles in Eurasian lynx and roe deer
<p>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 (<em>Lynx lynx</em>) to various densities of its primary prey species, roe deer (<em>Capreolus</em> <em>capreolus</em>), 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.</p>
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>
Data from: Predator-prey Interactions of Terrestrial Invertebrates are Determined by Predator Body Size and Species Identity
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Numerical response of predator to prey: Dynamic interactions and population cycles in Eurasian lynx and roe deer
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Predator home range size mediates indirect interactions between prey species in an arctic vertebrate community
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
The past, present, and future of predator-prey interactions in a warming world: using species distribution modeling to forecast ectotherm-endotherm niche overlap
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Asymmetrical effects of temperature on stage-structured predator-prey interactions
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
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
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Constraints and demands interact to affect prey dietary reaction to predation
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Habitat features and performance interact to determine the outcomes of terrestrial predator-prey pursuits
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Human-driven breakdown of predator-prey interactions in the northern Adriatic Sea
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Influence of intra- and interspecific variation in predator-prey body size ratios on trophic interaction strengths
<p>1. Predation is a pervasive force that structures food webs and directly influences ecosystem functioning. The relative body sizes of predators and prey may be an important determinant of interaction strengths. However, studies quantifying the combined influence of intra- and interspecific variation in predator-prey body size ratios are lacking.</p> <p>2. We use a comparative functional response approach to examine interaction strengths between three size classes of invasive bluegill and largemouth bass towards three scaled size classes of their tilapia prey. We then quantify the influence of intra- and interspecific predator-prey body mass ratios on the scaling of attack rates and handling times.</p> <p>3. Type II functional responses were displayed by both predators across all predator and prey size classes. Largemouth bass consumed more than bluegill at small and intermediate predator size classes, whilst large predators of both species were more similar. Small prey were most vulnerable overall, however differential attack rates among prey were emergent across predator sizes. For both bluegill and largemouth bass, small predators exhibited higher attack rates towards small and intermediate prey sizes, whilst larger predators exhibited greater attack rates towards large prey. Conversely, handling times increased with prey size, with small bluegill exhibiting particularly low feeding rates towards medium-large prey types. Attack rates for both predators peaked unimodally at intermediate predator-prey body mass ratios, whilst handling times generally shortened across increasing body mass ratios.</p> <p>4. We thus demonstrate effects of body size ratios on predator-prey interaction strengths between key fish species, with attack rates and handling times dependent on the relative sizes of predator-prey participants.</p> <p>5. Considerations for intra- and interspecific body size ratio effects are critical for predicting the strengths of interactions within ecosystems and may drive differential ecological impacts among invasive species as size ratios shift.</p>
Data from: Antagonistic species interaction drives selection for sex in a predator-prey system
<p>The evolutionary maintenance of sexual reproduction has long challenged biologists as the majority of species reproduce sexually despite inherent costs. Providing a general explanation for the evolutionary success of sex has thus proven difficult and resulted in numerous hypotheses. A leading hypothesis suggests that antagonistic species interaction can generate conditions selecting for increased sex due to the production of rare or novel genotypes that are beneficial for rapid adaptation to recurrent environmental change brought on by antagonism. To test this ecology-based hypothesis, we conducted experimental evolution in a predator (rotifer) - prey (algal) system by using continuous cultures to track predator-prey dynamics and in-situ rates of sex in the prey over time and within replicated experimental populations. Overall, we found that predator-mediated fluctuating selection for competitive versus defended prey resulted in higher rates of genetic mixing in the prey. More specifically, our results showed that fluctuating population sizes of predator and prey, coupled with a trade-off in the prey, drove the sort of recurrent environmental change that could provide a benefit to sex in the prey, despite inherent costs. We end with a discussion of potential population genetic mechanisms underlying increased selection for sex in this system, based on our application of a general theoretical framework for measuring the effects of sex over time, and interpreting how these effects can lead to inferences about the conditions selecting for or against sexual reproduction in a system with antagonistic species interaction.</p>
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
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.