Traditionally, predator switching has been assumed to be a stabilizing force in ecological systems. Recent work, however, has shown that predator switching can be either stabilizing or destabilizing. Most models of predator switching, to date, assume that prey are behaviorally passive and do not respond to predators. We allowed prey to respond behaviorally to predators, so as to avoid capture, ...

Nest predation is a major determinant of fitness in birds and costly nest defence behaviours have evolved in order to reduce nest predation. Some avian studies have suggested that predator recognition is innate whereas others have stressed the importance of learning. However, none of these studies controlled for the genetic origin of the populations investigated and the effect of unfamiliarity ...

In this paper, we have introduced a fractional-ordered predator-prey population model which has been successfully solved with the help of two powerful analytical methods, namely, Homotopy Perturbation Method (HPM) and Variational Iteration Method (VIM). The fractional derivatives are described in the Caputo sense. Using initial values, we have derived the explicit solutions of predator-prey pop...

Abstract. In this paper, a predator-prey-disease model with immune response in the infected prey is formulated. The basic reproduction number of the within-host model is defined and it is found that there are three equilibria: extinction equilibrium, infection-free equilibrium and infection-persistent equilibrium. The stabilities of these equilibria are completely determined by the reproduction...

Predator-prey interactions play an important role for species composition and community dynamics at local scales, but their importance in shaping large-scale gradients of species richness remains unexplored. Here, we use global range maps, structural equation models (SEM), and comprehensive databases of dietary preferences and body masses of all terrestrial, non-volant mammals worldwide, to tes...

Direct and indirect interactions between two prey species can strongly alter the dynamics of predator-prey systems. Most predators are cannibalistic, and as a consequence, even systems with only one predator and one prey include two prey types: conspecifics and heterospecifics. The effects of the complex direct and indirect interactions that emerge in such cannibalistic systems are still poorly...

This paper uses a methodology based in fuzzy sets theory in order to describe the interaction between the prey, Aphis glycines (Hemiptera: Aphididae) the soybean aphid, and its predator, Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae). Economic thresholds were already developed for this pest. The aim of this investigation was to develop a simple and specific methodology by fuzzy rule-based system to...

Catastrophic collapses of top predators have revealed trophic cascades and community structuring by top-down control. When populations fail to recover after a collapse, this may indicate alternative stable states in the system. Overfishing has caused several of the most compelling cases of these dynamics, and in particular Atlantic cod stocks exemplify such lack of recovery. Often, competition ...

introduction: gestational stress can lead to cerebral functional disorders, such as epilepsy, probably due to the disturbance in the cerebral maturation and causing abnormal neuronal correlations. in the present study, effect of gestational predator stress on the neonatal epileptic behaviors was investigated in rats. methods: female rats (200 ± 20 g) were divided into two groups intact pregnant...

the laelapid mite, gaeolaelapsaculeifer (canestrini) is widespread in soil habitats and feeds on different small arthropods, fungi and nematodes. the development and fecundity of g. aculeifer feeding on rhizoglyphus echinopus (fumouze & robin) as prey was studied at eight different constant temperatures which include: 16, 17.5, 20, 22.5, 25, 27.5, 30 and 32.5 ºc, with relative humidity of 6...