Tag: Predator-prey

#StoryBehindThePaper

Do predators create healthier prey populations?

This blog post is provided by Ellen E. Brandell and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the paper “Examination of the interaction between age-specific predation and chronic disease in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem”, which was recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. The debate about if and how predators kill their prey to result in “healthier” prey populations has been ongoing for the past three decades, but … Continue reading Do predators create healthier prey populations?

Unknown's avatarBeth Preston3 Comments
#StoryBehindThePaper, Guest post

Catching the parasite: three-spined sticklebacks eat trematode free-living stages

This blog post is provided by Ana Born-Torrijos and Miroslava Soldánová and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for their article “Cercarial behaviour alters the consumer functional response of three-spined sticklebacks“, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. When we see a small fish swimming about in a lake, we might assume they are searching for something to eat, perhaps some copepods, cladocerans or ostracods. What … Continue reading Catching the parasite: three-spined sticklebacks eat trematode free-living stages

Unknown's avatarBeth PrestonLeave a comment
Guest post

Urbanization alters predator‐avoidance behaviours

Urbanisation is changing the natural landscape at a global scale. This obviously alters habitat structures, but what is the influence on predator-prey dynamics? A recent paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology studied two urban prey species to examine whether urbanisation changed their predator-avoidance behaviour. Lead author Dr Travis Gallo, an Urban Wildlife Postdoctoral Researcher at the Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo, tells us … Continue reading Urbanization alters predator‐avoidance behaviours

Unknown's avatarSarah MarleyLeave a comment
Guest post

A high cost of infidelity for swift parrots

A recent paper published in the Journal of Animal Ecology has found that a chronic shortage of females in a critically endangered parrot species has led to love triangles, sneaky sex on the side, increased fighting between males, and fewer babies.  Here to tell us more are three of the authors: Rob Heinsohn, George Olah, and Dejan Stojanovic. Most birds are at least socially monogamous, … Continue reading A high cost of infidelity for swift parrots

Unknown's avatarSarah Marley1 Comment
Guest post

A Colourful Distribution

Skinks come in a variety of colours and patterns. But why and how are these colour polymorphisms maintained? Genevieve Matthews, a PhD student at Monash University, has been studying skinks for four years. Her research examines the maintenance of genetic variation in the form of colour pattern polymorphism in the delicate skink, and the costs associated with sexual conflict. Here, Genevieve summarises her recent publication … Continue reading A Colourful Distribution

Unknown's avatarSarah MarleyLeave a comment
Guest post

Go Big or Go Home: Pitcher plant hosts and their crab spider tenants

The carnivorous traps of Nepenthes pitcher plants are sometimes inhabited by a species of crab spider which ambushes insects as they arrive at traps. Recently published work by Weng Ngai Lam and Hugh Tan showed that this apparent thievery is actually beneficial to the plants — but only when crab spiders attack big prey with high nutrient contents. Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants that trap … Continue reading Go Big or Go Home: Pitcher plant hosts and their crab spider tenants

Unknown's avatarSarah Marley2 Comments
Guest post

Understanding what’s driving Arctic skua declines in Scotland

Dr Allan Perkins is a Senior Conservation Scientist at the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science. Here, he describes some of the challenges faced by Arctic skuas and his paper assessing ‘bottom-up’ processes, which was recently published in JAE. Arctic skuas are spectacular birds, pirates among our seabird communities. Having spent the winter, off Namibia and South Africa, they return each spring to nest on the coastal … Continue reading Understanding what’s driving Arctic skua declines in Scotland

Unknown's avatarSarah MarleyLeave a comment
Guest post

Understanding ecosystem function (and each other)

Proponents of interdisciplinary work can range from grant reviewers to department chairs, but what goes into this type of collaboration? Alva Curtsdotter (ecologist) and Amanda Laubmeier (mathematician) talk about the process behind their recent paper on dynamic food web modelling. Alva: There has for some time now been an increasing interest in using dynamic food web models in ecosystem function research. These mathematical models describe … Continue reading Understanding ecosystem function (and each other)

Unknown's avatarSarah MarleyLeave a comment
Guest post

I Set Out To Track Birds, but Ended Up Tracking Predators

The understanding of the interplay of movement, behaviour and physiology that biologging offers has applied relevance for a range of fields, including evolutionary ecology, wildlife conservation and behavioural ecology. In recognition of this, the Journal of Animal Ecology has an upcoming Special Feature on Biologging  (submissions due 20th September). But sometimes, you don’t end up tracking exactly what you expect… This was the case for Dylan Smith, an … Continue reading I Set Out To Track Birds, but Ended Up Tracking Predators

Unknown's avatarSarah MarleyLeave a comment
Guest post

Effects of a maternal stress hormone across life stages

Anthropogenic disturbance is a growing threat, and the physiological consequences of exposure to such stressors is gaining increasing attention. A recent paper published in the Journal of Animal Ecology explores the consequences of stress-relevant hormones for mothers and their offspring. David Ensminger, lead author of the study, is finishing up his PhD with Dr. Tracy Langkilde, taking an integrative approach to examining the role stress-relevant … Continue reading Effects of a maternal stress hormone across life stages

Unknown's avatarSarah Marley2 Comments