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331 results for “predation effect”
Data from: Cascading effects of apex predator recovery on rodent foraging activity and seed predation
This dataset was collected to examine the effects of apex predator presence on post-dispersal seed predation and rodent foraging behavior in Mediterranean ecosystems of southern Spain. The study focused on the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) as a top predator capable of altering mesopredator and small mammal communities through cascading interactions. We used the fleshy-fruited tree Pyrus bourgaeana as a model species and conducted a seed predation experiment in two areas with and without lynx presence. A total of 1152 seeds were placed in 144 seed depots across forest and open habitats and three microhabitat types (rock, shrub, and open ground). Rodent activity and foraging behavior were monitored using 36 camera traps installed at a subset of seed depots, and rodent abundance was estimated with live trapping one week later. The dataset includes seed predation counts, camera-trap records of rodent visits, live-trapping results, and vegetation cover estimates. These data allow investigation of how predation risk and habitat structure influence rodent activity and post-dispersal seed predation dynamics in Mediterranean landscapes.
The interactive effects of predator stress, predation, and the herbicide Roundup®
These data are from a mesocosm experiment examined how lethal predators and cues from caged predators potentially interacted with four concentrations of the herbicide Roundup® in its effects on three species of tadpoles (gray tree frogs, green frogs, bulfrogs).
Predator effects on metamorphosis: The effects of scaring versus thinning at high prey densities.
Organisms with complex life cycles face the challenge of when to switch between habitats and foraging strategies over ontogeny in ways that improve their fitness. Metamorphosis is a well-studied life history event in animals and ecologists have spent decades trying to understand how the size at and time to metamorphosis are altered by natural stressors such as competition and predation. The challenges in interpreting the effects of predators on metamorphic decisions include the need to compare predator species that pose different levels of risk, compare the roles of predators inducing fear versus thinning of the density of prey, and examine prey life history traits and behavior over ontogeny. We addressed these challenges in a mesocosm experiment in which we introduced a high initial density of hatchling Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens) and exposed them to three different species of caged predators (to induce three different levels of fear), three rates of hand-thinning (to mimic the thinning effect of each predator), or three species of lethal predators (to cause induction and thinning). Under these initial high densities, we found that caged predators had no effects on tadpole activity, growth, and development. This outcome was likely due to the high density of tadpoles causing high competition, which can inhibit anti-predator responses. High rates of hand thinning caused decreased tadpole activity, greater mass, and faster development. Interestingly, lethal predators caused phenotypic changes that were largely in line with the hand thinning effects alone. These results suggest that at high initial prey densities, the thinning process of predation appears plays a much more important role in prey metamorphosis than induction from predatory chemical cues.
Supplementary materials for: How effective are insect aposematism and Batesian mimicry in deterring a wild avian predator?
<p><strong><a name="_Hlk180513890"></a>Acoustic_parameters_10cm.txt</strong><br>Acoustic parameters of the sounds produced by insects in flight, species recorded at 10 cm from the microphone.</p> <p><strong>Acoustic_parameters_5cm.txt<br></strong>Acoustic parameters of the sounds produced by insects in flight, species recorded at 5 cm from the microphone.</p> <p><strong>Robin_behaviours.txt</strong> <br><em>Erithacus rubecula</em> reactions measured in Boris software from videos of behavioural experiments.</p> <p><strong>Rscript_robin_behaviours.R</strong><br>R script used for the analysis of robins’ behaviours (using Robin_behaviours.txt).</p> <p><strong>Rscript_acoustical_analyses.R</strong><br>R script used for the analysis of acoustical parameters of insect buzzing sounds (using Acoustic_parameters_10cm.txt and Acoustic_parameters_5cm.txt).</p> <p><strong>Robin_experiment_video.mp4<br></strong>Behavioural experiment with a wild European robin (<em>Erithacus rubecula</em>) in its habitat. A freshly defrosted insect specimen and the corresponding buzzing sound of each recorded hymenopteran model and lepidopteran mimic (plus a housefly as a control) were presented in random order to the robin at a feeder with <em>Tenebrio molitor</em> larvae.</p> <p><strong>Robin_experiment_video_Metadata.docx</strong><br><span>Metadata for the supplementary video Robin_experiment_video.mp4.</span></p>
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.
New effects of Roundup on amphibians: Predators reduce herbicide mortality while herbicides induce anti-predator morphology, 2006.
The use of pesticides is important for growing crops and protecting human health by reducing the prevalence of targeted pest species. However, less attention is given to the potential unintended effects on nontarget species, including taxonomic groups that are of current conservation concern. One issue raised in recent years is the potential for pesticides to become more lethal in the presence of predatory cues, a phenomenon observed thus far only in the laboratory. A second issue is whether pesticides can induce unintended trait changes in nontarget species, particularly trait changes that might mimic adaptive responses to natural environmental stressors. Using outdoor mesocosms, I created simple wetland communities containing leaf litter, algae, zooplankton, and three species of tadpoles (wood frogs [Rana sylvatica or Lithobates sylvaticus], leopard frogs [R. pipiens or L. pipiens], and American toads [Bufo americanus or Anaxyrus americanus]). I exposed the communities to a factorial combination of environmentally relevant herbicide concentrations (0, 1, 2, or 3 mg acid equivalents [a.e.]/L of Roundup Original MAX) crossed with three predator-cue treatments (no predators, adult newts [Notophthalmus viridescens], or larval dragonflies [Anax junius]). Without predator cues, mortality rates from Roundup were consistent with past studies. Combined with cues from the most risky predator (i.e., dragonflies), Roundup became less lethal (in direct contrast to past laboratory studies). This reduction in mortality was likely caused by the herbicide stratifying in the water column and predator cues scaring the tadpoles down to the benthos where herbicide concentrations were lower. Even more striking was the discovery that Roundup induced morphological changes in the tadpoles. In wood frog and leopard frog tadpoles, Roundup induced relatively deeper tails in the same direction and of the same magnitude as the adaptive changes induced by dragonfly cues. To my knowledge, this i
Relyea, R. A. 2001. The lasting effects of adaptive plasticity: Predator-induced tadpoles become long-legged frogs. Ecology 82:1947-1955.
Changes in environmental conditions often alter the traits of individuals; however, we have a poor understanding of how changes in phenotypically plastic traits early in development may affect traits later in life. Such effects are of particular interest in organisms with complex life cycles in which early and late life stages can have drastically different morphologies and occupy different habitats. In this study, I examined how differences in the mass, morphology, and larval period of wood frog tadpoles (Rana sylvatica) subsequently affected the mass and morphology of metamorphic frogs. I found three major patterns: (1) larval mass and larval period were positively related to metamorphic mass; (2) larval period was positively related to metamorph hindlimb and forelimb length and negatively related to metamorph body width; and (3) larval body length was positively related to metamorph forelimb size. I then used these correlations to interpret the connection between the traits of predator-induced tadpoles and the subsequent traits of metamorphic frogs. Tadpoles reared with caged predators (aeshnid dragonflies) developed relatively deeper tail fins and had shorter bodies, lower mass, and longer developmental times than tadpoles reared without predators. Metamorphs emerging from larval predator environments exhibited no differences in mass but developed relatively large hindlimbs and forelimbs and narrower bodies than metamorphs emerging from predator-free larval environments. These differences arose primarily due to predator-induced changes in larval development time and not due to the predator-induced changes in larval morphology. By focusing on a large number of traits and a wide range of trait values, one can readily generate predictions about how a variety of environments, which alter traits early in development, can subsequently alter traits later in development.
Relyea, R. A. 2000. Trait-mediated indirect effects in larval anurans: Reversing competition with the threat of predation. Ecology 81:2278-2289.
Ecologists recently have been focusing on the role that trait-mediated indirect effects can have on community structure and composition. To date, this work has primarily focused on the effects of predator-induced behavioral plasticity on communities. However, predator-induced morphological plasticity, which has been documented in many taxa, might also lead to trait-mediated indirect effects. Here, I examined how predators altered the behavior and morphology of larval wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and leopard frogs (R. pipiens) and how these phenotypic changes altered the outcome of competition between the two species. Competition in the absence of caged predators was asymmetric; when reared separately, leopard frogs grew more than wood frogs, but when competing (without predators), wood frogs grew faster than leopard frogs. The presence of caged predators reversed the outcome of competition between the two anuran prey. In the presence of larval dragonflies (Anax spp.) or caged mudminnows (Umbra limi), leopard frogs grew faster than wood frogs while total tadpole biomass production remained unchanged. Thus, there was a predator-mediated indirect effect. Because predators alter both the behavior and morphology of larval anurans and both of these traits are known to affect resource consumption and growth, both are potential mechanisms to explain the change in competitive outcome. Changes in behavior were not related to changes in growth, but changes in morphology (specifically mouth width and tail length) were related to changes in growth. When competitors were added (without predators), wood frogs increased their mouth width by 10% and their tail length by 3%, while leopard frogs increased their mouth width by 5% and did not change their tail length. The greater increase in mouth width for wood frogs should increase their forage intake, since tadpoles feed by scraping periphyton; the importance of a 3% longer tail in competitive ability is unknown. The presence of the p
Data and code from: The functional form of specialized predation affects whether Janzen-Connell effects can prevent competitive exclusion
<p><span>Janzen</span><span>-</span><span>Connell</span><span> Effects (</span><span>JCEs</span><span>), specialized </span><span>predation</span><span> of seeds and seedlings near </span><span>conspecific</span><span> trees, are hypothesized to maintain species richness. While previous studies show </span><span>JCEs</span><span> can maintain high richness relative to neutral communities, recent theoretical work indicates </span><span>JCEs</span><span> may weakly inhibit competitive exclusion when species exhibit inter-specific fitness variation. However, recent models make somewhat restrictive assumptions about the functional form of specialized </span><span>predation</span><span> -- that </span><span>JCEs</span><span> occur at a fixed rate when offspring are within a fixed distance of a </span><span>conspecific</span><span> tree. Using a theoretical model, I show that the functional form of </span><span>JCEs</span><span> largely impacts their ability to maintain coexistence. If </span><span>predation</span><span> pressure increases </span><span>additively</span><span> with adult tree density and decays exponentially with distance, </span><span>JCEs</span><span> maintain considerably higher species richness than predicted by recent models. Loosely </span><span>parameterizing</span><span> the model with data from a Panamanian tree community, I elucidate the conditions under which </span><span>JCEs</span><span> are capable of maintaining high species richness. </span></p>
Data and R-scripts from: Multiple stressors: negative effects of nest predation on the viability of a threatened gull in different environmental conditions
<p>This contains data and R-scripts used in: </p> <ul> <li>Bård-Jørgen Bårdsen and Jan Ove Bustnes (2022). Multiple stressors: negative effects of nest predation on the viability of a threatened gull in different environmental conditions. Journal of Avian Biology.</li> </ul> <p>This study assessed the population viability of a population of the lesser black-backed gull (<em>Larus fuscus fuscus</em>) using data collected during 2005-2020 from a nature reserve in Northern Norway. The study merged results from statistical analyses of empirical data with a Leslie model. Here, we provide the underlying data, and the R-scripts used to analyse the data and run the model. The data set include information about reproduction at several stages (laying, hatching and fledgling), nest predation, and individual capture histories (used to estimate apparent survival; see <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02953">Bårdsen and Bustnes 2022</a>).</p>
Fig. 1 in Effect of Mexican Hirsutella citriformis (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) strains on Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) and the predators Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) and Hippodamia convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Fig. 1. Overall mean mortality of Diaphorina citri adults caused by conidia of 8 Hirsutella citriformis strains applied by contact (3 separate bioassays) under controlled conditions (26 ± 1 °C, 76 ± 4% RH, 16:8 h L:D photoperiod). Error bars represent the standard error (n = 7).
Fig. 3 in Effect of Mexican Hirsutella citriformis (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) strains on Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) and the predators Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) and Hippodamia convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Fig. 3. Mean mortality of Diaphorina citri caused by blastospores of 5 Hirsutella citriformis strains under controlled conditions (26 ± 1 °C, 76 ± 4% RH, 16:8 h L:D photoperiod) during 26 d post inoculation. Different letters indicate significant differences (Tukey's test, α = 0.05). Error bars represent the standard error (n = 7).
Fig. 2 in Effect of temperature on the life cycle of Euspilotus azureus (Coleoptera: Histeridae), a predator of forensic importance
Fig. 2. Development rate (continuous line in grey) with a 95% confidence intervals and duration (in d, black line) of (a) egg development period, (b) first instar larvae, (c) second instar larvae, (d) pupa and (e) egg to adult of Euspilotus azureus, reared under controlled conditions (15, 20, 25, and 30 °C; photoperiod 12:12 h L:D; RH 65 ± 10%).
Fig. 1 in Effect of temperature on the life cycle of Euspilotus azureus (Coleoptera: Histeridae), a predator of forensic importance
Fig. 1. Experimental arena (250 ml pot) containing 200 g of sifed commercial topsoil, where Euspilotus azureus were paired under controlled conditions (15, 20, 25, and 30 °C; photoperiod 12:12 h L:D; RH 65 ± 10%).
Fig. 2 in Quantifying insect predation in laboratory arenas: the effect of prey acclimation
Fig. 2. Behavioral responses of Orgyia leucostigma caterpillars that acclimated on the plant for less than 20 min (20 min), from 20 to <40 min (40 min), and from 40 to 60 min (60 min) to the attacks of Polistes fuscatus wasps. *P <0.05; ns: P> 0.05. No response = caterpillars that did not respond to predators by dropping. Drop = caterpillars that dropped from the leaf in response to the predator.
Fig. 1 in Quantifying insect predation in laboratory arenas: the effect of prey acclimation
Fig. 1. The mortality of Orgyia leucostigma caterpillars that acclimated on the plant for less than 20 min (20 min), from 20 to <40 min (40 min), and from 40 to 60 min (60 min) before exposure to Polistes fuscatus wasps. Treatments with the same letter are not significantly different (P> 0.05).
Predators mitigate the destabilising effects of heatwaves on multitrophic stream communities
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Amidst the global extinction crisis, climate change will additionally expose ecosystems to more frequent and intense extreme climatic events, such as heatwaves. Yet, whether predator species loss—a prevailing characteristic of the extinction crisis—will exacerbate the ecological consequences of extreme climatic events remains largely unknown. Here, we show that predator species loss can interact with heatwaves to affect the compositional stability of ecosystems. By exposing multitrophic stream communities to realistic current and future heatwaves—locally informed by weather station data and downscaled regional climate projections—in the presence and absence of an apex fish predator, we found that heatwaves destabilised algal communities by homogenising them in space. However, this only happened when predators were absent. Additional heatwave impacts on multiple aspects of stream communities—including changes to the structure of algal and macroinvertebrate communities, total algal biomass, and the temporal variability of algal biomass—were not apparent during heatwaves and emerged only after the heatwaves had passed. Taken together, our results suggest that, though the ecological consequences of heatwaves can amplify over time as their impacts propagate through biological interaction networks, those impacts can be mitigated by the presence of predators. These findings underscore the importance of conserving trophic structure and the integrity of biological communities, and highlight the considerable potential for species extinctions to amplify the effects of climate change and extreme events.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The dataset contains the Chlorophyll a concentrations of mesocosms measured during a multifactorial experiment from terracotta tiles with a Benthotorch fluorometer, as well as data on leaf dry mass decomposition, and macroinvertebrate community composition, richness, and abundance. We conducted an experiment looking at the combined effects of predator loss and heatwaves on multiple aspects of aquatic communities in semi-open mesocosms with immigration and emigration from the adjacent Horonai stream, in Tomakomai experimental forest, Hokkaido, Japan. Our focal predator was <em>Cottus nozawae</em>, a freshwater sculpin. We exposed 2/3 of our 48 mesocosms to heatwaves based on either observed current or projected future heatwaves and tested for interactions between predator presence/absence and heatwaves. Our dataset also contains algal time series for different functional groups (based on fluoroprobe chlorophyll a data) across our experiment, including dates that were not the focus of our analyses. See Methods section in the associated manuscript for details on data processing and the measurement of different experimental variables.</p> <p>Usage notes</p> <p>See readme file for further details and 'data descriptions.csv' file for descriptions of data structure.</p>
Fig. 1 in Sleeping site selection in two Asian viverrids: effects of predation risk, resource access and habitat characteristics
Fig. 1. Home ranges, core areas and sleeping sites of binturongs (Arctictis binturong) and masked palm civets (Paguma larvata). Home ranges (minimum convex polygon [MCP] 95%) and core areas (MCP 50%) with sleeping sites overlaid of (a) three masked palm civets and a female binturong at Tikong, (b) a male binturong at Sesawo, and (c) location of study sites (Sesawo and Tikong) within the study area (Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary – West). Different gray shades within home ranges represent core areas of each animal.
Fig. 4 in Sleeping site selection in two Asian viverrids: effects of predation risk, resource access and habitat characteristics
Fig. 4. Use and reuse of sleeping sites. Cumulative number of unique sleeping sites in relation to the total number of sites observed for two binturongs (Arctictis binturong) and three masked palm civets (Paguma larvata). Numbers of unique sleeping sites (sites that are not re-used) versus total sleeping sites observed and study areas are indicated in parenthesis.
Fig. 3 in Sleeping site selection in two Asian viverrids: effects of predation risk, resource access and habitat characteristics
Fig. 3. Use of sleeping sites within different forest types. Percentage of different forest types used (denoted as U) for sleeping sites versus forest types available (A) for two binturongs (Arctictis binturong) and three masked palm civets (Paguma larvata). Forest types are: semi-evergreen forest (SEF), mixed deciduous forest (MDF), and dry dipterocarp forest (DDF). Numbers in parenthesis after individual animals represent the number of sleeping sites used in the analysis, excluding reused sites.
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.