Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryo Nakano, Akio Ito, Susumu Tokumaru
Summary: A study has found that using ultrasonic pulses that mimic bat echolocation calls can effectively suppress the intrusion of moths into agricultural fields, reducing plant damage and the need for insecticides.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Purnedu Mishra, Barkha Tiwari
Summary: Fear of predation in prey can restrict their development and promote defense mechanisms, shaping the entire ecosystem. The study investigates the dynamics of fearful prey with group defense, analyzing stability and potential bifurcations in the system. Consideration of diffusion and Hopf bifurcations are also important factors in determining system behavior.
NONLINEAR DYNAMICS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Lei Gu, Luc De Meester, Zhou Yang
Summary: Predators can impact population and community dynamics through direct predation and nonconsumptive effects, such as changes in prey species traits. However, little is known about how kairomones act on prey across diverse aquatic ecosystems. This study explored how predator and prey identity and species composition influenced the expression of inducible defenses in water fleas.
Article
Ecology
Rafael Dettogni Guariento, Guilherme Dalponti, Luciana Silva Carneiro, Adriano Caliman
Summary: The emphasis on understanding the interaction among predators and the effects on prey survival has led to a lack of theoretical understanding on prey defence mechanisms in complex multi-predator scenarios. This study used a mathematical approach to evaluate the prevalence of defended prey phenotypes and their ecological consequences. The results showed that the emergence of defended phenotypes depends on predator-induced mortality rates, phenotype costs, and their effect on predator performance. The study also highlighted the importance of defensive strategies in mediating trophic cascades.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nicolas Battini, Clara Belen Giachetti, Karen Lidia Castro, Alejandro Bortolus, Evangelina Schwindt
Summary: Only a fraction of introduced species succeed in non-native environments, with causes underlying each outcome critical for designing effective management programs. This study examines the invasion success of a potentially neurotoxic mollusk in the SWA, finding that high dietary plasticity and lack of native predators may be key factors. The predator-prey interactions favor non-native establishment via resource exploitation, absence of biotic resistance, and increased food availability associated with artificial substrates like ports.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Benjamin A. Belgrad, William Knudson, Sarah H. Roney, William C. Walton, Jessica Lunt, Delbert L. Smee
Summary: Prey species can adjust morphology to reduce predation risk by responding to predator cues. A study on oysters showed that they grew stronger shells and had increased survivorship when raised with cues from common predator species. The findings highlight the potential of using predator cues to enhance the survival of target species and control pest-based mortality.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Stella F. Uiterwaal, Amber J. Squires, Bennett A. Grappone, Brian Dillard, Ariadne Castaneda, Sora L. Kim, John P. DeLong
Summary: It has been unclear which coexistence mechanism, niche differentiation or intraguild predation, predominates in consumer communities due to the limited ability to quantify diets from metabarcoding data. This study combines a metabarcoding quantification approach with stable isotope analysis to examine diet composition in a wolf spider community. The results show that extensive intraguild predation is likely the primary coexistence mechanism in this community, and other factors do not explain diet composition and intraguild predation.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Shane L. Hogle, Iina Hepolehto, Lasse Ruokolainen, Johannes Cairns, Teppo Hiltunen, Jonathan Chase
Summary: Modifying intraspecific trait diversity can alter competitive hierarchies between different species, leading to competitive exclusion. This competitive outcome is driven by foraging traits and has significant impacts on prey community assembly.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Arash Kheirodin, Pedro F. S. Toledo, Alvin M. Simmons, Jason M. Schmidt
Summary: Insect herbivore abundances in agricultural fields are influenced by the surrounding landscape complexity, which can regulate herbivore populations through direct and indirect effects. More research is needed to study how landscape complexity mediates multi-species interactions within fields.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
John J. Gilbert
Summary: The planktonic rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus does not show an increased propensity to settle at the surface film or attach to glass surfaces when exposed to the predatory rotifer Asplanchna. The percentages of Brachionus free-swimming, attached to glass, and settled at the surface film were 81-100%, 0-18%, and 0-3%, respectively, regardless of the presence of Asplanchna. Three types of defensive responses in planktonic rotifers were identified: transgenerational spine-development responses, slow-onset attachment propensity increases, and brief escape movements caused by disturbance after contact with various predators.
JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Shan Jiang, Yan Bai, Fan Sun, Le-Le Ge, Yi-Long Xi
Summary: In the presence of Asplanchna kairomone, the attached clone of B. dorcas exhibited a stronger attachment tendency, effectively protecting prey from predation pressure. The attached clone did not show morphological changes with increasing kairomone concentration, but had decreased reproductive rate and population growth rate. The free-swimming clone developed elongated spines, decreased population growth rate, and reduced proportion of sexual offspring, indicating reproductive costs in both clones.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mohannad Dardiry, Gabi W. Eberhard, Hanh J. Witte, Christian Roedelsperger, James Lightfoot, Ralf Sommer
Summary: This study reveals the genetic mechanism underlying the phenotypic plasticity in the predatory nematode Pristionchus pacificus. It identifies a core developmental gene and a QTL that control the expression of cannibalistic morph, which is composed of several cis-regulatory elements. The comparisons of other predatory nematodes further support the rapid evolution of these cis-regulatory elements, demonstrating their important roles in plastic trait expression and control of nematode cannibalism.
Review
Ecology
Melanie L. Low, Mairelys Naranjo, Jayne E. Yack
Summary: Despite centuries of research on insect defense sounds, there is still limited understanding of their occurrence, function, and evolution. These sounds vary between species based on different production mechanisms and intended functions, such as startling, warning, and jamming. More research is needed to further investigate the functions and evolutionary origins of these survival sounds through predator-prey experiments and comparative phylogenetics.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aiqing Lin, Jiqian Li, Yinli Hu, Maojun Zhong, Minglun Yu, Nina Ma, Tingting Wei, Jinhong Luo, Jiang Feng
Summary: A study shows that the defensive tactics of moths, the countertactics of bats, and the availability of moths collectively shape the diets of insectivorous bats. This highlights the importance of using a combination of behavioral experiments and molecular genetic techniques to understand the complex interactions between predators and prey in nature.
Article
Biology
Jong-Yun Choi, Seong-Ki Kim
Summary: The study discusses a defense strategy of Cyclops vicinus, which thrives in winter due to lower fish predation activity. Abundant phytoplankton in winter supports the population growth of C. vicinus. Winter dominance of C. vicinus is an evolved defense mechanism to avoid fish predation, contributing to regional biodiversity and freshwater food web stability.