We study the adaptive dynamics of predator prey systems modeled by a dynamical system in which the characteristics are allowed to evolve by small mutations. When only the prey are allowed to evolve, and the size of the mutational change tends to 0, the system does not exhibit prey coexistence and the parameters of the resident prey type converges to the solution of an ODE. When only the predato...

BACKGROUND The Janzen-Connell hypothesis proposes that seed and seedling enemies play a major role in maintaining high levels of tree diversity in tropical forests. However, human disturbance may alter guilds of seed predators including their body size distribution. These changes have the potential to affect seedling survival in logged forest and may alter forest composition and diversity. ME...

1. Theory suggests that the relationship between predator diversity and prey suppression should depend on variation in predator traits such as body size, which strongly influences the type and strength of species interactions. Prey species often face a range of different sized predators, and the composition of body sizes of predators can vary between communities and within communities across se...

Computer simulation of a few thousands of particles moving (approximately) according to the energy and momentum conservation laws on a tessellation of 800 × 800 squares in discrete time steps and interacting according to the predatorprey scheme is analyzed. The population dynamics are described by the basic Lotka-Volterra interactions (multiplication of preys, predation and multiplication of pr...

The likelihood of encountering a predator influences prey behavior and spatial distribution such that non-consumptive effects can outweigh the influence of direct predation. Prey species are thought to filter information on perceived predator encounter rates in physical landscapes into a landscape of fear defined by spatially explicit heterogeneity in predation risk. The presence of multiple pr...

The distribution of organisms in the ocean is highly heterogeneous, influencing both sampling and ecological structure. The complex spatial and temporal structure of predators and prey affect one another. Numerous studies in pelagic systems have investigated the effects of prey distribution on predator behavior and studies in benthic habitats have revealed the significant impacts predators can ...

Title: EFFECTS OF ABIOTIC STRESS AND PREDATOR REFUGE ON TERRESTRIAL PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS Danny Lewis, Doctor of Philosophy, 2009 Directed By: Professor Robert F. Denno, Department of Entomology With assistance from: Assistant Professor Daniel Gruner A major goal of ecology has been to understand how abiotic stress modifies species interactions, including predation. In marine habitats, a w...

Foraging theory seeks to explain how the distribution and abundance of prey influence the evolution of predatory behaviour, including the allocation of effort to searching for prey and handling them after they are found. While experiments have shown that many predators alter their behaviour phenotypically within individual lifetimes, few have examined the actual evolution of predatory behaviour...