Prey Animal

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-92
Author(s):  
Emily Pittinos
Keyword(s):  
Prey Animal

The Coevolution of Tyrannosaurus & Its Prey

2014 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-123
Author(s):  
S. Randolph May
Keyword(s):  
Prey Species ◽  
Adaptive Behaviors ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Bite Marks ◽  
Prey Animal

Students will analyze the coevolution of the predator–prey relationships between Tyrannosaurus rex and its prey species using analyses of animal speeds from fossilized trackways, prey-animal armaments, adaptive behaviors, bite marks on prey-animal fossils, predator–prey ratios, and scavenger competition. The students will be asked to decide whether T. rex was a predator, an opportunistic scavenger, or an obligate scavenger.

scholarly journals Large variation among photoreceptors as the basis of visual flexibility in the common backswimmer

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1795) ◽  
pp. 20141177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esa-Ville Immonen ◽  
Irina Ignatova ◽  
Anna Gislen ◽  
Eric Warrant ◽  
Mikko Vähäsöyrinki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microscopic Analysis ◽  
Physiological Mechanisms ◽  
Absolute Sensitivity ◽  
Prey Animal ◽  
The Common ◽  
Dim Light ◽  
Retinal Structure ◽  
Open Rhabdom ◽  
Better Than ◽  
New Habitats

The common backswimmer, Notonecta glauca , uses vision by day and night for functions such as underwater prey animal capture and flight in search of new habitats. Although previous studies have identified some of the physiological mechanisms facilitating such flexibility in the animal's vision, neither the biophysics of Notonecta photoreceptors nor possible cellular adaptations are known. Here, we studied Notonecta photoreceptors using patch-clamp and intracellular recording methods. Photoreceptor size (approximated by capacitance) was positively correlated with absolute sensitivity and acceptance angles. Information rate measurements indicated that large and more sensitive photoreceptors performed better than small ones. Our results suggest that backswimmers are adapted for vision in both dim and well-illuminated environments by having open-rhabdom eyes with large intrinsic variation in absolute sensitivity among photoreceptors, exceeding those found in purely diurnal or nocturnal species. Both electrophysiology and microscopic analysis of retinal structure suggest two retinal subsystems: the largest peripheral photoreceptors provide vision in dim light and the smaller peripheral and central photoreceptors function primarily in sunlight, with light-dependent pigment screening further contributing to adaptation in this system by dynamically recruiting photoreceptors with varying sensitivity into the operational pool.

Effectiveness of the Liberator? in reducing predation on wildlife by domestic cats

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 244 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Calver ◽  
S. R. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Positive Result ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Prey Animal ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Effective Option ◽  
Conservation Concern

We evaluated the effectiveness of the commercial collar-worn product the Liberator? in reducing the number of vertebrates pet cats bring home. Fifteen cats identified by their owners as hunters bringing home at least one prey animal per fortnight were included in the study, which was carried out in Perth, Western Australia over six weeks in November/December 2006 (southern hemisphere late spring/early summer). Each cat spent three weeks wearing a Liberator? and three weeks without it and the number of prey brought home by the cat during each period was recorded by its owner. Participating cats caught 91 prey (37 birds, 44 mammals and 10 herpetofauna). The Southern Brown Bandicoot was the only prey species of conservation concern. Liberators? made no statistically significant difference in the number of cats catching prey, but did reduce the overall number of prey caught. Cats wearing Liberators? caught only 38% of all birds, 40% of all herpetofauna and 30% of all mammals captured during the study. Despite this positive result several product failures occurred, so owners wishing to reduce predation by their cats will need to decide whether the Liberator? is a cost-effective option.

scholarly journals Prey should hide more randomly when a predator attacks more persistently

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (113) ◽  
pp. 20150861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shmuel Gal ◽  
Steve Alpern ◽  
Jérôme Casas
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Game ◽  
Capture Probability ◽  
Escape Behaviour ◽  
Multistage Model ◽  
Search Games ◽  
Prey Animal ◽  
Game Context ◽  
Zero Sum

When being searched for and then (if found) pursued by a predator, a prey animal has a choice between choosing very randomly among hiding locations so as to be hard to find or alternatively choosing a location from which it is more likely to successfully flee if found. That is, the prey can choose to be hard to find or hard to catch, if found. In our model, capture of prey requires both finding it and successfully pursuing it. We model this dilemma as a zero-sum repeated game between predator and prey, with the eventual capture probability as the pay-off to the predator. We find that the more random hiding strategy is better when the chances of repeated pursuit, which are known to be related to area topography, are high. Our results extend earlier results of Gal and Casas, where there was at most only a single pursuit. In that model, hiding randomly was preferred by the prey when the predator has only a few looks. Thus, our new multistage model shows that the effect of more potential looks is opposite. Our results can be viewed as a generalization of search games to the repeated game context and are in accordance with observed escape behaviour of different animals.

scholarly journals Drop or fly? Negative genetic correlation between death-feigning intensity and flying ability as alternative anti-predator strategies

2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1609) ◽  
pp. 555-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatsunori Ohno ◽  
Takahisa Miyatake
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Correlation ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Callosobruchus Chinensis ◽  
Adzuki Bean ◽  
Death Feigning ◽  
Prey Animal ◽  
Adzuki Bean Beetle ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Bean Beetle ◽  
Points Of View

A prey animal may have the alternative of flying away or feigning death when it encounters predators. These alternatives have a genetic base as anti-predator strategies in the adzuki bean beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis . A negative genetic correlation between death-feigning intensity and flying ability was found in C. chinensis , i.e. lower flying ability is genetically connected to escaping by dropping from a perch and then feigning death, whereas higher flying ability does not correspond to death-feigning behaviour. Two bidirectional artificial selections for death-feigning duration and flying ability were conducted independently in C. chinensis . The strains selected for shorter (longer) duration of death-feigning had higher (lower) flying ability, while the strains selected for lower (higher) flying ability showed longer (shorter) duration of death-feigning. When the two traits were compared in 21 populations of C. chinensis derived from different geographical regions, a significant negative correlation was found between death-feigning intensity and flying ability. Based on these results, the choice between alternative escaping behaviours in animals is discussed from two points of view: phenotypic plasticity, an individual with two tactics; and pleiotropic genetic correlation, different individuals with opposite strategies.

scholarly journals How molecular tools can help understanding species interactions to improve restoration outcomes

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Boyer ◽  
Benjamin R Waterhouse ◽  
Steve D Wratten
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Restoration Ecology ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Molecular Tools ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Prey Animal ◽  
Restoration Practice ◽  
High Throughput Dna Sequencing ◽  
The Cost

Preserving species interactions should be a key desired outcome in restoration ecology. With progress in environmental DNA techniques and the dramatic reduction in the cost of high-throughput DNA sequencing, large amounts of information can be gathered on how species interact with little to no disturbance to ecosystems. Here, we argue that the use of molecular tools to study ecological interactions will become increasingly important in restoration projects. We describe specific examples where recent advances in genetics allow for a better understanding of predator-prey, animal-plant, plant-microbe and trophic cascade interactions, which can inform restoration practice and substantially improve our capacity to restore functioning ecosystems.

scholarly journals Social context affects camouflage in a cryptic fish species

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella A. Encel ◽  
Ashley J. W. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Colour Change ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Body Colour ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Prey Animal ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Acute Changes

Crypsis, or the ability to avoid detection and/or recognition, is an important and widespread anti-predator strategy across the animal kingdom. Many animals are able to camouflage themselves by adapting their body colour to the local environment. In particular, rapid changes in body colour are often critical to the survival of cryptic prey which rely on evading detection by predators. This is especially pertinent for animals subject to spatio-temporal variability in their environment, as they must adapt to acute changes in their visual surroundings. However, which features of the local environment are most relevant is not well understood. In particular, little is known about how social context interacts with other environmental stimuli to influence crypsis. Here, we use a common cryptic prey animal, the goby ( Pseudogobius species 2) to examine how the presence and body colour of conspecifics influence the rate and extent to which gobies change colour. We find that solitary gobies change colour to match their background faster and to a greater extent than gobies in pairs. Further, we find that this relationship holds irrespective of the colour of nearby conspecifics. This study demonstrates the importance of social context in mediating colour change in cryptic animals.

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