Animals in many vertebrate species vocalize in response to predators, but it is often unclear whether these antipredator calls function to communicate with predators, conspecifics or both. We evaluated the function of antipredator calls in 10 species of passerines by measuring the acoustic directionality of these calls in response to experimental presentations of a model predator. Acoustic dire...

Uncertainty poses a substantial problem for animals, making it is essential for individuals to anticipate changes in their environment to select suitable behavioral strategies. In nest-building species where parents care for dependent young, predation is a major cause of reproductive failure. However, because parents generally have inadequate information about nest predation risks, attaining in...

Predator–prey coupling can result in oscillations of predator–prey densities. These densities correspond to intraspecific competition where a high population density causes competition. Strong native species however be disrupted by the introduction invasive into food webs. Here, we investigated how body condition (body mass relative length) predator, lake trout, and its primary prey, cisco, cha...

Predator-prey theory predicts that in the presence of multiple types of predators using a common prey, predator facilitation may result as a consequence of contrasting prey defense mechanisms, where reducing the risk from one predator increases the risk from the other. While predator facilitation is well established in natural predator-prey systems, little attention has been paid to situations ...

Predatory arthropods can exert strong top-down control on ecosystem functions. However, despite extensive theory and experimental manipulations of predator diversity, our knowledge about relationships between plant and predator diversity--and thus information on the relevance of experimental findings--for species-rich, natural ecosystems is limited. We studied activity abundance and species ric...

We studied detour responses of two species of poeciliid fish (Gambusia hoolbroki and Girardinus falcatus) faced with a vertical-bar barrier, through which conspecifics of the same or different sex or a simulated-predator (which induced detour behaviour for predator-inspection responses) were visible. Both species showed a consistent bias to turn leftward when faced with the predator, and a cons...

1. The variability of species combinations and membership assembly patterns in an insect pre-dispersal seed predator guild were studied at various spatial and temporal resolutions using presence/absence and abundance data in null models. The guild consists of seven beetle species (four bruchids and three curculionids) and one moth species that live on a perennial vetch, Vicia tenuifolia Roth (L...

Life-history theory predicts that differences in reproductive effort and residual reproductive value among species should result in differences in the level of risk that parents are willing to tolerate to themselves versus their offspring. Specifically, highly fecund and shorter-lived species are expected to place greater value in current offspring than themselves, whereas less fecund and longe...

When exposed to the odor of a sympatric predator, prey animals typically display escape or defensive responses. These phenomena have been well-documented, especially in rodents, when exposed to the odor of a cat, ferret, or fox. As a result of these experiments new discussions center on the following questions: (1) is a single volatile compound such as a major or a minor mixture constituent in ...

In fragmented edge-dominated landscapes, nest predation and brood parasitism may reduce avian reproductive success and, ultimately, populations of some passerine species. In the fragmented agroecosystem of northwest Mississippi, placement of drop-pipe structures has been used as a restoration technique for abating gully erosion along stream banks. These actions have formed small herbaceous and ...