Temperature and prey capture: opposite relationships in two predator taxa

Abstract 1. All other things equal, predator capture rates are expected to depend on encounter rate with prey, prey escape capability (including prey defences), and on predator agility. Ectotherm predators and their prey both respond to increasing temperature by increased activity, i.e. predators increase their search area and prey may enhance their escape capability. This means that, as temperature changes, the ability of a predator to catch prey will decrease, increase, or remain unchanged depending on the relative effect of temperature on predator and prey. Their responses may further be differentially moulded by light conditions depending on whether the predator is diurnally or nocturnally active. It was hypothesised that flying Diptera are vulnerable to carabid beetles only at low temperatures and over the full temperature range for spiders because carabids, in contrast to spiders, are not built to catch swiftly moving prey. 2. The first experiment examined the spontaneous locomotor activity of the predators and of fruit flies at different temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C) and light conditions (light, dark). A second experiment examined the effect of temperature and light on the predation rate of two carabid beetles (Pterostichus versicolor and Calathus fuscipes) and two spiders (Clubiona phragmitis and Pardosa prativaga) using fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) as prey. 3. All four predators and the fruit fly increased their locomotory activity at higher temperatures. Activity of the carabid beetles peaked at intermediate temperatures; spiders and fruit flies were most active at the highest temperatures. Predation rate of the spiders increased with temperature whereas the beetles caught flies only at low temperatures (5 and 10 °C). 4. Diurnal variation in temperature may bring different prey groups within the set of potential prey at different times of the day or at different seasons. The ability of many carabid beetles to forage at low temperatures may have nutritional benefits and increases the diversity of interactions in terrestrial food webs.     

Influence of extraguild prey density on intraguild predation by heteropteran predators: A review of the evidence and a case study

Heteropteran predators constitute an important component of predatory guilds in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Most heteropteran species have generalist diets, and intraguild predation has been documented in most heteropteran families. Zoophytophagous species also frequently engage in intraguild interactions. An increase in extraguild prey density is often predicted to reduce intraguild predation between guild members by providing abundant alternate prey. However, an increase of extraguild prey density may also be associated with an increase in the density of intraguild predators, which could instead strengthen intraguild predation. Evaluating the combined effect of these potentially opposing influences on intraguild predation is difficult. Most studies have been carried out in the laboratory, using artificially simplified communities of predators and prey and employing spatial and temporal scales that may not reflect field conditions. We review experimental studies examining how extraguild prey density influences the intensity of intraguild predation and then report an observational case study examining the influence of extraguild prey density on the intensity of intraguild predation at larger spatial and temporal scales in unmanipulated cotton fields. Fields with more abundant extraguild prey (aphids, mites) were not associated with elevated densities of intraguild predators, and were strongly associated with increased survival of intraguild prey (lacewing larvae). In this system, the ability of extraguild prey to relax the intensity of intraguild predation, as previously documented in small-scale field experiments, also extends to the larger spatial and temporal scales of commercial agriculture.     

Variation in prey selection of a piscivorous fish after the impoundment of a neotropical reservoir: prey size and type

The relative abundance and size of prey fish in the stomachs of the predator Acestrorhynchus pantaneiro were compared with those recorded in the field to estimate prey selection. Fish samples were taken monthly in the Manso Reservoir (State of Mato Grosso, Brazil) immediately after the impoundment, from March 2000 to February 2001 (period I) and from March 2003 to February 2004 (period II). In period I, the small relative dominance of the prey in the environment seemed to have lead to random foraging. In period II, however, when the forage fish Moenkhausia dichroura was dominant in the environment, the predator shifted its diet, foraging mainly on this prey. Species with short relative body depth were positively selected. The prey size classes between 30 and 49 mm, and 50 and 69 mm standard length ( L _S) were the most abundant in the environment. Small prey were predominantly selected by A. pantaneiro . Even when a given prey or prey size was predominant in the environment, A. pantaneiro was a selective predator and maintained its preferences associated to prey type and L _S, although it consumed the most abundant resource.     

Development of an immunological technique for identifying multiple predator–prey interactions in a complex arthropod assemblage

A simplified but highly effective approach for the post‐mortem evaluation of predation on several targeted members of an arthropod assemblage that does not require the development of pest‐specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (e.g. pest‐specific monoclonal antibodies) or PCR assays (DNA primers) is described. Laboratory feeding studies were conducted to determine if predation events could be detected from predators that consumed prey marked with foreign protein. I determined that large and small rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG)‐marked prey can be detected by a rabbit‐IgG‐specific ELISA in the guts of chewing and piercing–sucking type predators. I then conducted multifaceted inclusion and exclusion field cage studies to qualify the degree of interguild and intraguild predation occurring among a complex arthropod assemblage during four separate light phase treatments. The field cages contained an arthropod assemblage consisting of 11 or 12 species of predaceous arthropods and three pest species. The three pests introduced into the cages included third instar Trichoplusia ni marked with rabbit IgG, third instar Lygus hesperus marked with chicken IgG and Pectinophora gossypiella sentinel egg masses. The inclusion cages allowed foraging fire ants, Solenopis xyloni, to freely enter the cages while the exclusion cages contained barriers that prevented ant entry. The results obtained using the conventional inclusion/exclusion field cage methodology revealed that there was substantial interguild and intraguild predation occurring on the majority of the arthropods in the assemblage, particularly in those cages that included ants. I then precisely identified which predators in the assemblage were feeding on the three targeted pests by conducting three post‐mortem gut content analyses on each individual predator (1503 individuals) in the assemblage. Specifically, P. gossypiella egg predation events were detected using an established P. gossypiella‐egg‐specific ELISA, and third instar T. ni and L. hesperus predation events were detected using rabbit‐IgG‐specific and chicken‐IgG‐specific ELISAs, respectively. Generally, the gut ELISAs revealed that Collops vittatus, Spanagonicus albofasciatus and Geocoris punctipes readily preyed on P. gossypiella eggs; Nabis alternatus, Zelus renardii and spiders (primarily Misumenops celer) readily preyed on marked L. hesperus nymphs, and spiders, S. albofasciatus and N. alternatus readily preyed on T. ni larvae. Furthermore, the cage methods and the post‐mortem predator gut ELISAs revealed very few distinctive patterns of predation with regard to the light cycle the assemblage was exposed to.     

Health food versus fast food: the effects of prey quality and mobility on prey selection by a generalist predator and indirect interactions among prey species

1. In order to understand the relative importance of prey quality and mobility in indirect interactions among alternative prey that are mediated by a shared natural enemy, the nutritional quality of two common prey for a generalist insect predator along with the predator's relative preference for these prey was determined. 2. Eggs of the corn earworm Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were nutritionally superior to pea aphids Acyrthosiphum pisum (Homoptera: Aphididae) as prey for big‐eyed bugs Geocoris punctipes (Heteroptera: Geocoridae). Big‐eyed bugs survived four times as long when fed corn earworm eggs than when fed pea aphids. Furthermore, only big‐eyed bugs fed corn earworm eggs completed development and reached adulthood. 3. In two separate choice experiments, however, big‐eyed bugs consistently attacked the nutritionally inferior prey, pea aphids, more frequently than the nutritionally superior prey, corn earworm eggs. 4. Prey mobility, not prey nutritional quality, seems to be the most important criterion used by big‐eyed bugs to select prey. Big‐eyed bugs attacked mobile aphids preferentially when given a choice between mobile and immobilised aphids. 5. Prey behaviour also mediated indirect interactions between these two prey species. The presence of mobile pea aphids as alternative prey benefited corn earworms indirectly by reducing the consumption of corn earworm eggs by big‐eyed bugs. The presence of immobilised pea aphids, however, did not benefit corn earworms indirectly because the consumption of corn earworm eggs by big‐eyed bugs was not reduced when they were present. 6. These results suggest that the prey preferences of generalist insect predators mediate indirect interactions among prey species and ultimately affect the population dynamics of the predator and prey species. Understanding the prey preferences of generalist insect predators is essential to predict accurately the efficacy of these insects as biological control agents.     

Temporal dynamics of natural enemy–pest interactions in a changing environment

Agroecosystems contain complex networks of interacting organisms and these interaction webs are structured by the relative timing of key biological and ecological events. Recent intensification of land management and global changes in climate threaten to desynchronize the temporal structure of interaction webs and disrupt the provisioning of ecosystem services, such as biological control by natural enemies. It is therefore critical to recognize the central role of temporal dynamics in driving predator–prey interactions in agroecosystems. Specifically, ecological dynamics in crop fields routinely behave as periodic oscillations, or cycles. Familiar examples include phenological cycles, diel activity rhythms, and crop-management cycles. The relative timing and the degree of overlap among ecological cycles determine the nature and magnitude of the ecological interactions among organisms, and ultimately determine whether ecosystem services, such as biological control, can be provided. Additionally, the ecological dynamics in many cropping systems are characterized by a pattern of frequent disturbances due to management actions such as harvest, sowing and pesticide applications. These disturbance cycles cause agroecosystems to be dominated by dispersal and repopulation dynamics. However, they also serve as selective filters that regulate which animals can persist in agroecosystems over larger temporal scales. Here, we review key concepts and examples from the literature on temporal dynamics in ecological systems, and provide a framework to guide biological control strategies for sustainable pest management in a changing world.     

Prey‐mediated changes in the selectivity of the predator Macrolophus pygmaeus (Heteroptera: Miridae)

When foraging in communities with mixed prey, generalist predators may be confronted with prey species that differ in quality, size and mobility and interact with one another. To examine prey selection, predation by Macrolophus pygmaeus (Heteroptera: Miridae) was recorded by providing a diet of either one or two prey species of Myzus persicae (third‐instar nymphs), Aphis gossypii (fourth‐instar nymphs), Trialeurodes vaporariorum (third‐instar nymphs) and Ephestia kuehniella (eggs). In the experiments, prey mobility, prey quality and prey biomass were considered. The biomass consumed by the predator was dependent on the combination of prey species and the quantity of biomass offered. In choice experiments with diets mixed of two prey species at equal densities, the predation to A. gossypii was significantly reduced in the presence of E. kuehniella but the rate of consumption of M. persicae, T. vaporariorum and E.kuehniella was not significantly affected by the coexistence of any other species in the mixed prey diet. When equal amounts of biomass from two prey species were provided in combination, the total consumed biomass was significantly reduced in the mixed prey diets composed of E. kuehniella eggs and aphid nymphs. Thus, under the mixed‐prey situation, prey selection by predators may be affected by interactions among prey species differing in traits such as quality, mobility and size.     

Novel cost of a sexually selected trait in the rubyspot damselfly Hetaerina americana: conspicuousness to prey

Conspicuousness to predators frequently has been invoked asa cost of sexually selected traits, but conspicuousness to preyhas not We tested for the latter using rubyspot damselflies(Hetaerina americana) as the predator. Previous work on thisspecies showed that the red spots on male wings are intrasexuallyselected and reduce survival. Since female wings lack red spots,we first compared male and female weight gain rates per unithunting time. Females gained weight significandy faster thanmales in both mg per hour and relative to body weight. We thencompared the weight gain rates of females painted with red wingspots to those of control females painted with clear ink ornot manipulated. Controls gained weight significandy fasterthan red-painted females. Behavioral observations revealed thatred females attempted to capture prey at normal rates and experiencednormal rates of agonistic interference from conspecifics ofboth sexes. Nevertheless, red females captured fewer prey perminute and per capture attempt than did sham-manipulated andunmanipulated controls. We infer that the red spots reducedfemale weight gain rates by increasing their visibility to prey.Close similarity between male and red female weight gain ratesrelative to unmanipulated females suggests that red spots mayalso be a hunting handicap for males. [Behav Ecol 7: 465–473(1996)]     

Elevationally biased avian predation as a contributor to the spatial distribution of geometrid moth outbreaks in sub‐arctic mountain birch forest

1. Population dynamics and interactions that vary over a species' range are of particular importance in the context of latitudinal clines in biological diversity. Winter moth (Operophtera brumata) and autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) are two species of eruptive geometrids that vary widely in outbreak tendency over their range, which generally increases from south to north and with elevation. 2. The predation pressure on geometrid larvae and pupae over an elevational gradient was tested. The effects of background larval density and bird occupancy of monitoring nest boxes on predation rates were also tested. Predation on larvae was tested through exclusion treatments at 20 replicate stations over four elevations at one site, while pupae were set out to measure predation at two elevations at three sites. 3. Larval densities were reduced by bird predation at three lower elevations, but not at the highest elevation, and predation rates were 1.9 times higher at the lowest elevation than at the highest elevation. The rate of predation on larvae was not related to background larval density or nest box occupancy, although there were more eggs and chicks at the lowest elevation. There were no consistent differences in predation on pupae by elevation. 4. These results suggest that elevational variation in avian predation pressure on larvae may help to drive elevational differences in outbreak tendency, and that birds may play a more important role in geometrid population dynamics than the focus on invertebrate and soil predators of previous work would suggest.     

Continental patterns in the diet of a top predator: Australia's dingo

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Predation rates of nemertean predators: the case of a rocky shore hoplonemertean feeding on amphipods

Estimates of the predation rates of benthic nemerteans are often based on observations of single individuals, and consequently they may not be representative for all members of a population of these predators. Herein we conducted controlled and repeatable laboratory experiments on the predation rate of the hoplonemertean Amphiporus nelsoni Sánchez 1973, which is common at exposed rocky shores along the central Chilean coast. During the austral fall (April, May 2000), nemerteans were observed in relatively high numbers crawling in the intertidal zone during early morning or late-afternoon low tides. When these nemerteans were offered living amphipods held by a forceps, they immediately attacked the amphipods and fed on them. In the laboratory experiments, nemerteans preferred the amphipod Hyale maroubrae Stebbing, 1899, which is also very common in the natural habitat of A. nelsoni. The nemerteans preyed to a higher extent on small males and non-ovigerous females than would have been expected from their abundance. We suggest that these (non-reproductive) stages of H. maroubrae are very mobile and therefore have a high likelihood of encounters with nemerteans. Predation rates reached maxima when nemerteans were provided prey densities of four or more of their preferred prey species, H. maroubrae, furthermore indicating that encounter rates with prey may affect predation rates. In long-term laboratory experiments, A. nelsoni consumed more amphipods during low tide conditions than during high tide conditions. Many nemerteans in the field prefer particular environmental conditions (e.g. nocturnal low tides), which restricts the time available for successful feeding. In the long-term experiment, predation rates of A. nelsoni never exceeded 0.5 amphipods nemertean^–1 d^–1. Maximum feeding events were 3 or 4 amphipods nemertean^–1 d^–1, but this only occurred during 10 out of a possible 2634 occasions. Nemerteans that had consumed 3 or 4 amphipods during 1 day, consumed substantially less prey during the following days. Towards the end of the long-term experiment, average predation rates decreased to 0.2 amphipods nemertean^–1 d^–1, corresponding to predation rates reported for other nemertean species (0.1–0.3 prey items nemertean^–1 d^–1). We suggest that predation rates from laboratory experiments represent maximum estimates that may not be directly transferable to field populations. Additionally, low predator–prey encounter rates with preferred prey in the field may further limit the predation impact of nemertean predators in natural habitats.     

Epiphytic bromeliads in a changing world: the effect of elevated CO2 and varying water supply on growth and nutrient relations

• Global climate change is likely to impact all plant life. Vascular epiphytes represent a life form that may be affected more than any other by possible changes in precipitation leading to water shortage, but negative effects of drought may be mitigated through increasing levels of atmospheric CO₂.
• We studied the response of three epiphytic Aechmea species to different CO₂ and watering levels in a full‐factorial climate chamber study over 100 days. All species use crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). Response variables were relative growth rate (RGR), nocturnal acidification and foliar nutrient levels (N, P, K, Mg).
• Both elevated CO₂ and increased water supply stimulated RGR, but the interaction of the two factors was not significant. Nocturnal acidification was not affected by these factors, indicating that the increase in growth in these CAM species was due to higher assimilation in the light. Mass‐based foliar nutrient contents were consistently lower under elevated CO₂, but most differences disappeared when expressed on an area basis.
• Compared to previous studies with epiphytes, in which doubling of CO₂ increased RGR, on average, by only 14%, these Aechmea species showed a relatively strong growth stimulation of up to +61%. Consistent with earlier findings with other bromeliads, elevated CO₂ did not mitigate the effect of water shortage.

     

Genotype matching in a parasitoid–host genotypic food web: an approach for measuring effects of environmental change

Food webs typically quantify interactions between species, whereas evolution operates through the success of alleles within populations of a single species. To bridge this gap, we quantify genotypic interaction networks among individuals of a single specialized parasitoid species and its obligate to cyclically parthenogenetic aphid host along a climatic gradient. As a case study for the kinds of questions genotype food webs could be used to answer, we show that genetically similar parasitoids became more likely to attack genetically similar hosts in warmer sites (i.e. there was network‐wide congruence between the within‐species shared allelic distance of the parasitoid and that of its host). Narrowing of host‐genotype‐niche breadth by parasitoids could reduce resilience of the network to changes in host genetic structure or invasion by novel host genotypes and inhibit biological control. Thus, our approach can be easily used to detect changes to sub‐species‐level food webs, which may have important ecological and evolutionary implications, such as promoting host‐race specialization or the accelerated loss of functional diversity following extinctions of closely related genotypes.     

The feeding behaviour of Leptodora kindti and its impact on the zooplankton community of Neusiedler See (Austria)

Leptodora kindti is a very efficient invertebrate predator. Its searching mode of preying is tactile. The setae of the first thoracic limb act as mechanoreceptors, the other thoracic limbs, thorax and head together form the shape of an open basket in which after encounter the prey is pushed in by the aid of the first thoracic limbs and the furca. In Neusiedler See, small individuals of Diaphanosoma brachyurum (0.6–0.9 mm) are the preferred prey, rarely copepods are taken. The predation rate is influenced by temperature, prey density and predator size and varies between less than one and 12 prey items per predator per day. At high predator densities, Leptodora will have a substantial effect on the Diaphanosoma population of Neusiedler See.     

Stability in a changing world – palm community dynamics in the hyperdiverse western Amazon over 17 years

Are the hyperdiverse local forests of the western Amazon undergoing changes linked to global and local drivers such as climate change, or successional dynamics? We analyzed local climatic records to assess potential climatic changes in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador, and compared two censuses (1995, 2012) of a palm community to assess changes in community structure and composition. Over 17 years, the structure and composition of this palm community remained remarkably stable. Soil humidity was significantly lower and canopy conditions were significantly more open in 2012 compared to 1995, but local climatic records showed that no significant changes in precipitation, temperature or river level have occurred during the last decade. Thus, we found no evidence of recent directional shifts in climate or the palm community in Yasuní. The absence of changes in local climate and plant community dynamics in Yasuní contrasts with recent findings from eastern Amazon, where environmental change is driving significant changes in ecosystem dynamics. Our findings suggest that until now, local forests in the northwest Amazon may have escaped pressure from climate change. The stability of this rich palm community embedded in the hyperdiverse Yasuní National Park underlines its uniqueness as a sanctuary for the protection of Amazonian diversity from global change impacts.     

A study of tumour growth based on stoichiometric principles: a continuous model and its discrete analogue

In this paper, we consider a continuous mathematically tractable model and its discrete analogue for the tumour growth. The model formulation is based on stoichiometric principles considering tumour-immune cell interactions in potassium (K ⁺)-limited environment. Our both continuous and discrete models illustrate ‘cancer immunoediting’ as a dynamic process having all three phases namely elimination, equilibrium and escape. The stoichiometric principles introduced into the model allow us to study its dynamics with the variation in the total potassium in the surrounding of the tumour region. It is found that an increase in the total potassium may help the patient fight the disease for a longer period of time. This result seems to be in line with the protective role of the potassium against the risk of pancreatic cancer as has been reported by Bravi et al. [Dietary intake of selected micronutrients and risk of pancreatic cancer: An Italian case-control study, Ann. Oncol. 22 (2011), pp. 202–206].