1. Interference between predator species frequently decreases predation rates, lowering the risk of predation for shared prey. However, such interference can also occur between conspecific predators. 2. Therefore, to understand the importance of predator biodiversity and the degree that predator species can be considered functionally interchangeable, we determined the degree of additivity and r...

We utilized a long-term data base collected over a broad geographic range to examine predator size prey size relationships for 18 species of marine fish predators from continental shelf waters off the northeast US coast. Regression analysis was used to illustrate interspecific variation in ontogenetic patterns of prey size use, gape allometries, and ratio-based trophic niche breadths. Sizebased...

The aim of this work was to study the feeding habits of the predator Brontocoris tabidus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) analyzing the salivary gland complex (SGC). The SGC was dissected and subjected to histological analyses and biochemical assays. Results showed that a pair of bilobed principal salivary glands and one pair of tubular accessory salivary glands form the SGC and different parts of s...

Emerging infectious diseases have been identified as threats to biodiversity, yet our understanding of the factors contributing to host susceptibility to pathogens within natural populations remains limited. It has been proposed that species interactions within communities affect host susceptibility to pathogens, thereby contributing to disease emergence. In particular, predation risk is a comm...

Cyber-crime targeting children such as online pedophile activity are a major and a growing concern to the society. A deep understanding of predatory chat conversations on the Internet has implications in designing effective solutions to automatically identify malicious conversations from regular conversations. We believe that a deeper understanding of the pedophile conversation can result in mo...

This study assessed middle and high school students’ knowledge of potential risks, appropriate use, and their behaviours on the internet and social networking sites, especially regarding behaviours that may lead to cyber bullying or contact with potential internet predators. A total of N = 4,215 middle and high school students were assessed in a northeast state using the 47 items and five dimen...

As climate regimes shift in many ecosystems worldwide, evolution may be a critical process allowing persistence in rapidly changing environments. Organisms regularly interact with other species, yet whether climate-mediated evolution can occur in the context of species interactions is not well understood. We tested whether a species interaction could modify evolutionary responses to temperature...

We investigated interactions between the generalist predator Orius insidiosus (Say) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) and two species of thrips prey, Frankliniella bispinosa (Morgan) and Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and interspecific differences in morphology and behavior between these prey species that could contribute to differences in predation by O. insidiosus ...

This paper considers an LG–Holling type II diseased predator ecosystem with Lévy noise and white noise. In this prey–predator system, assuming that the predator population is infected by disease and divided into two classes: susceptible predator and infected predator, we show that the system has a unique global positive solution. We investigate the persistence in the mean and extinction for the...