Myxobacteria Are Able to Prey Broadly upon Clinically-Relevant Pathogens, Exhibiting a Prey Range Which Cannot Be Explained by Phylogeny

Myxobacteria Are Able to Prey Broadly upon Clinically-Relevant Pathogens, Exhibiting a Prey Range Which Cannot Be Explained by Phylogeny

Myxobacteria are natural predators of microorganisms and the subjects of concerted efforts to identify novel antimicrobial compounds. Myxobacterial predatory activity seems to require more than just the possession of specific antimicrobial metabolites. Thus a holistic approach to studying predation promises novel insights into antimicrobial action. Here, we report the isolation of 113 myxobacte...

Are classical predator-prey models relevant to the real world?

Mathematical models of predator-prey population dynamics are widely used for predicting the effect of predators as biocontrol agents, but the assumptions of the models are more relevant to parasite-host systems. Predator-prey systems, at least in insects, substantially differ from what is assumed by these models. The main differences are: (i) Juveniles and adults have to be considered as two di...

The Dynamical Analysis of a Delayed Prey-Predator Model with a Refuge-Stage Structure Prey Population

A mathematical model describing the dynamics  of a  delayed  stage structure prey - predator  system  with  prey  refuge  is  considered.  The  existence,  uniqueness  and bounded- ness  of  the  solution  are  discussed.    All  the  feasibl e  equilibrium  points  are determined.  The   stability  analysis  of  them  are  investigated.  By  employ ing  the time delay as the bifurcation parame...

Be Loved, Be Prey, Be Eaten

Cues by which Portia fimbriata, an araneophagic jumping spider, distinguishes jumping-spider prey from other prey.

Portia fimbriata from Queensland, Australia, is an araneophagic jumping spider (Salticidae) that includes in its predatory strategy a tactic (cryptic stalking) enabling it to prey effectively on a wide range of salticids from other genera. Optical cues used by P. fimbriata to identify the salticid species on which it most commonly preys, Jacksonoides queenslandicus, were investigated experiment...