Search results for "Predation"
showing 10 items of 589 documents
Characterizing the pigment composition of a variable warning signal of Parasemia plantaginis larvae
2010
Summary 1. Aposematic animals advertise their defences to predators via warning signals that often are bright colours combined with black patterns. Predation is assumed to select for large pattern elements and conspicuousness of warning signals because this enhances avoidance learning of predators. However, conspicuousness of the colour pattern can vary among individuals of aposematic species, suggesting that warning signal expression may be constrained by opposing selection pressures. If effective warning signals are costly to produce, variation in signal expression may be maintained via physiological trade-offs. To understand the costs of signalling that might underlay both physiological …
Context-dependent coloration of prey and predator decision making in contrasting light environments
2022
A big question in behavioral ecology is what drives diversity of color signals. One possible explanation is that environmental conditions, such as light environment, may alter visual signaling of prey, which could affect predator decision-making. Here, we tested the context-dependent predator selection on prey coloration. In the first experiment, we tested detectability of artificial visual stimuli to blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) by manipulating stimulus luminance and chromatic context of the background. We expected the presence of the chromatic context to facilitate faster target detection. As expected, blue tits found targets on chromatic yellow background faster than on achromatic gre…
Community structure affects trophic ontogeny in a predatory fish.
2016
While most studies have focused on the timing and nature of ontogenetic niche shifts, information is scarce about the effects of community structure on trophic ontogeny of top predators. We investigated how community structure affects ontogenetic niche shifts (i.e., relationships between body length, trophic position, and individual dietary specialization) of a predatory fish, brown trout (Salmo trutta). We used stable isotope and stomach content analyses to test how functional characteristics of lake fish community compositions (competition and prey availability) modulate niche shifts in terms of (i) piscivorous behavior, (ii) trophic position, and (iii) individual dietary specialization. …
Macrophytes shape trophic niche variation among generalist fishes.
2017
Generalist species commonly have a fundamental role in ecosystems as they can integrate spatially distinct habitats and food-web compartments, as well as control the composition, abundance and behavior of organisms at different trophic levels. Generalist populations typically consist of specialized individuals, but the potential for and hence degree of individual niche variation can be largely determined by habitat complexity. We compared individual niche variation within three generalist fishes between two comparable lakes in the Czech Republic differing in macrophyte cover, i.e. macrophyte-rich Milada and macrophyte-poor Most. We tested the hypothesis that large individual niche variation…
Avian predation on a parasitic fly of cervids during winter: can host-related cues increase the predation risk?
2012
The deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) is an ectoparasitic fly on cervids that has expanded its distribution rapidly in Northern Europe. However, the regulating biotic factors such as predation remain unknown. The host-independent pupal stage of the fly lasts for several months. Blackish pupae are visible against snow, especially on the bedding sites of hosts, and are thus exposed to predators. To evaluate the role of predation on the invasion dynamics and evolution of L. cervi, we monitored pupal predation on artificial bedding sites in three geographical areas in Finland during winter. We explored: (1) possible predators; (2) magnitude of predation; and (3) whether predation risk is affected by h…
Lesser kestrel diet and agricultural intensification in the Mediterranean: An unexpected win-win solution?
2018
Abstract Farmland bird species have suffered dramatic declines in recent decades, especially in Mediterranean areas. The intensification of agricultural practices has led to reduced invertebrate prey, which represent the bulk of the diet of many farmland birds. In this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal variation in the diet of the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) during the breeding season, monitored over a five-year period between 2006 and 2013 in the Gela Plain (Sicily). Our aim was to understand whether, and to what extent, farming practices affected the reproductive outputs of this predominantly insectivore bird in order to find a profitable compromise between conservation …
Pulsed-resource dynamics increase the asymmetry of antagonistic coevolution between a predatory protist and a prey bacterium
2011
Temporal resource fluctuations could affect the strength of antagonistic coevolution through population dynamics and costs of adaptation. We studied this by coevolving the prey bacterium Serratia marcescens with the predatory protozoa Tetrahymena thermophila in constant and pulsed-resource environments for approximately 1300 prey generations. Consistent with arms race theory, the prey evolved to be more defended, whereas the predator evolved to be more efficient in consuming the bacteria. Coevolutionary adaptations were costly in terms of reduced prey growth in resource-limited conditions and less efficient predator growth on nonliving resource medium. However, no differences in mean coevol…
Adapted conservation measures are required to save the Iberian lynx in a changing climate
2013
The Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus ) has suffered severe population declines in the twentieth century and is now on the brink of extinction 1 . Climate change could further threaten the survival of the species 2 , but its forecast effects are being neglected in recovery plans 3,4 . Quantitative estimates of extinction risk under climate change have so far mostly relied on inferences from correlative projections of species’ habitat shifts 5 . Here we use ecological niche models coupled to metapopulation simulations with source–sink dynamics 6,7 to directly investi- gate the combined effects of climate change, prey availabil- ity and management intervention on the persistence of the Iberian lyn…
Interventions have limited effects on the population dynamics of Ips typographus and its natural enemies in the Western Carpathians (Central Europe)
2020
Abstract Outbreaks of the European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus kill extensive areas of Norway spruce forests in Central Europe, affecting both protected areas and neighboring commercial forests. In protected areas, uncontrolled (non-intervention) management allows natural beetle-induced tree mortality, while in commercial forests infested trees are salvage-logged in order to lower I. typographus numbers and stabilize wood production. However, the effects of active pest controls on I. typographus population are often ambiguous, and little is known about how antagonists, beetle density, or intraspecific competition help terminate I. typographus outbreaks. To answer this question, we st…
Occurrence and impact of interactions between small-scale fisheries and predators, with focus on Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus Hermann …
2017
Abstract Antagonistic interaction between Mediterranean marine mammals, including the endangered monk seal ( Monachus monachus ), and small-scale fisheries is a growing problem in the Aegean Sea. Effective management measures are needed to ensure both the survival of the monk seal population, and its coexistence with the small-scale fisheries. In this study, data from 371 fishing journeys by 8 different boats was collected between March and November 2014. Evidence of depredation by monk seals was recorded in 19.1% of fishing journeys, by cetaceans in 5%, and by other predators in 16.5%. Analysis of landings data showed that gear and depth were the variables most likely to influence the occu…