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.

146

datasets available to search

ShareScore release 0.9.0

Dataset results

146 results for “predator-prey”

Learn how ShareScore rates datasets ↗

edi52/100

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.

openCC0Jul 2025View details →

edi44/100

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 →

edi44/100

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)May 2024View details →

edi44/100

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 2024View details →

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 →

zenodo40/100

Food quantity and quality modulates inducible defences in a common predator-prey system

Zooplankton display different inducible defences against invertebrate and vertebrate predators. The response pattern to gape-limited invertebrate predators involves increased somatic growth and offspring body size but delayed maturity and reduced offspring numbers. In contrast to this general pattern, the freshwater model organism Daphnia magna has been reported to exhibit a different response when encountering the gape-limited tadpole shrimp Triops cancriformis. Under laboratory conditions, D. magna showed increased somatic growth, earlier maturation, and an increase in both offspring number and size. We propose here that the discrepancy between the previously observed and the theory-based response patterns against invertebrate predators is due to differences in food availability in the applied laboratory settings and assessed whether the defensive response of D. magna against T. cancriformis is modulated differently by food quantity and quality. We found a strong impact of food quantity and quality on the defence response of D. magna to T. cancriformis kairomones. The prey seem to be able to overcome trade-offs between morphological defence traits and reproductive traits, but distinctly between high food quantity and high food quality. Thereby, reproductive traits were preferred over morphological defences. Furthermore, removal of particles from the T. cancriformis-conditioned water caused a defence pattern in D. magna that was consistent with the general response pattern known from other invertebrate predators, thus explaining the described discrepancy to previous studies with T. cancriformis.  Our study highlights the importance of assessing food-related effects on predator-prey interactions to understand trophic relationships and food web processes.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2023View details →

zenodo40/100

The Meadow Viper's perspective on the diet and predator-prey interactions of the reptile specialist Smooth Snake

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.

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2024View details →

dryad40/100

Data from: Dynamic balancing of risks and rewards in a large herbivore: Further extending predator-prey concepts to road ecology

Animal behavior is shaped by the ability to identify risks and profitably balance the levels of risks encountered with the payoffs experienced. Anthropogenic disturbances like roads generate novel risks and opportunities that wildlife must accurately perceive and respond to. Basic concepts in predator-prey ecology are often used to understand responses of animals to roads (e.g., increased vigilance, selection for cover in their vicinity). However, prey often display complex behaviors such as modulating space use given varying risks and rewards, and it is unclear if such dynamic balancing is used by animals in the context of road crossings. We tested whether animals dynamically balance risks and rewards relative to roads using extensive field -based and GPS collar data from elk in Yoho National Park (British Columbia, Canada) where a major highway completely bisects their range during most of the year. We analyzed elk behavior by combining hidden Markov movement models with a step-selection function framework. Rewards were indexed by a dynamic map of available forage biomass and risks were indexed by road crossings and traffic volumes. We found that elk generally selected intermediate and high forage biomass and avoided crossing the road. Most of the time, elk modulated their behavior given varying risks and rewards. When crossing the highway compared with not crossing, elk selected for greater forage biomass and this selection was stronger as the number of highway crossings increased. However, with traffic volume, elk only balanced foraging rewards when they crossed a single time during a travel sequence. Using a road ecology system, we empirically tested an important component of predator-prey ecology – the ability to dynamically modulate behavior in response to varying levels of risks and rewards. Such a test articulates how decision-making processes that consider the spatiotemporal variation in risks and rewards allow animals to successfully and profitably navigate busy roads. Applying well-developed concepts in predator-prey theory helps understand how animals respond to anthropogenic disturbances and anticipate the adaptive capacity for individuals and populations to adjust to rapidly changing environments.

opencc-zeroJul 2023View details →

dryad40/100