The distribution of weak and strong non-linear feeding interactions (i.e., functional responses) across the links of complex food webs is critically important for their stability. While empirical advances have unravelled constraints on single-prey functional responses, their validity in the context of complex food webs where most predators have multiple prey remain uncertain. In this study, we ...

in this paper, we introduce fractional order of a planar fractional prey-predator system with a nonmonotonic functional response and anti-predator behaviour such that the adult preys can attack vulnerable predators. we analyze the existence and stability of all possibleequilibria. numerical simulations reveal that anti-predator behaviour notonly makes the coexistence of the prey and predator po...

Swarming behaviours in animals have been extensively studied owing to their implications for the evolution of cooperation, social cognition and predator– prey dynamics. An important goal of these studies is discerning which evolutionary pressures favour the formation of swarms. One hypothesis is that swarms arise because the presence of multiple moving prey in swarms causes confusion for attack...

The predator-prey model with stage structure for predator is generalized in the context of ecoepidemiology, where the prey population is infected by a microparasite and the predator completely avoids consuming the infected prey. The intraspecific competition of infected prey is considered. All the equilibria are characterized and the existence of a Hopf bifurcation at the coexistence equilibriu...

Nutritional ecological theory predicts that predators should adjust prey capture and consumption rates depending on the prey's nutritional composition. This would affect the predator's functional response, at least at high prey densities, i.e. near predator satiation. Using a simple fruitfly-wolf spider laboratory system in Petri dishes, we found that functional responses changed from day to da...

Swarming behaviours in animals have been extensively studied owing to their implications for the evolution of cooperation, social cognition and predator-prey dynamics. An important goal of these studies is discerning which evolutionary pressures favour the formation of swarms. One hypothesis is that swarms arise because the presence of multiple moving prey in swarms causes confusion for attacki...

—Few predation models that simulate effects on prey survival and size structure also predict the corresponding effects on predator growth and size structure. To make this link, we parameterized a bioenergetics model for southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma by conducting a series of respiration and feeding experiments as well as obtaining values from the literature. We then linked the bioe...

Aggregation of conspecific predators sharing a common prey, influences their bodyweights. We investigated the influence intraspecific competition adult ladybirds Coccinella transversalis Fabricius on bodyweight feeding rusty plum aphid, Hysteroneura setariae (Thomas). Adult males and females consumed significantly greater number aphids with increase in predator-density, however, aphid-consumpti...

Ecological theory predicts that generalist predators should damp or suppress long-term periodic fluctuations (cycles) in their prey populations and depress their average densities. However, the magnitude of these impacts is likely to vary depending on the availability of alternative prey species and the nature of ecological mechanisms driving the prey cycles. These multispecies effects can be m...

The aim of this study was to assess the ecological factors associated with feeding by Rachycentron canadum (cobia) in the waters of Hormuzgan Province, Iran. Specimens were collected seasonally from Sep. 2014–Sep. 2015 from the Ferdows-1 survey ship and from landing areas in the city of Bandar Abbas. A total of 577 cobia were collected (340 male, 237 female) (20–161 cm Total length). Our result...