Predatory bacteria seek and consume other live bacteria. Although belonging to taxonomically diverse groups, relatively few bacterial predator species are known. Consequently, it is difficult to assess the impact of predation within the bacterial realm. As no genetic signatures distinguishing them from non-predatory bacteria are known, genomic resources cannot be exploited to uncover novel pred...

In vitro tests were carried out to assess the activity of 26 Brazilian isolates of predatory fungi of the genus Arthrobotrys on a free-living nematode (Panagrellus sp.) and on infective larvae of Haemonchus placei, a parasitic gastrointestinal nematode of cattle. The results showed that the free-living nematode Panagrellus sp. was the most preyed upon, compared to H. placei, for all the fungal ...

Conserving predators on an increasingly crowded planet brings very difficult challenges. Here, we argue that community ecology theory can help conserve these species in human-dominated landscapes. Letting humans and predators share the same landscapes is similar to maintaining a community of predatory species, one of which is humans.

Two experiments were performed in the laboratory to understand the relationships between oviposition preference and larval performance of the two predatory hoverfly species, Episyrphus balteatus de Geer and Metasyrphus corollae Fabricius. We first conducted laboratory experiments to understand the nature and relative strengths of intraguild predation between the larvae of three ladybird species...

In vitro tests were carried out to verify the activity of 26 Brazilian isolates of predatory fungi of the genus Arthrobotrys on a free-living nematode (Panagrellus sp.) and on infective larvae of Cooperia punctata, a parasitic gastrointestinal nematode of cattle. The results showed that the free-living nematode Panagrellus sp. was the most preyed upon, compared to C. punctata, for all the funga...

This article discusses the growing problem of predatory lending, particularly in low-income, inner city neighborhoods, with a case study of communities in Syracuse, New York. The author documents mortgage lending activities and foreclosure patterns in central New York and argues for continued education throughout the home-buying process. A program that reduced foreclosures in low-income urban n...

Despite growing concerns over mercury (Hg) exposure to humans and wildlife on a global scale, little is known about Hg bioaccumulation in the New World tropics. From 2005 to 2011, we monitored Hg concentrations in blood of nine avian species occupying a geographic range of tropical wet broadleaf sites on the island of Hispaniola, including eight passerines (two Nearctic-Neotropical migrant and ...

During courtship, individuals transfer information about identity, mating status and quality. However, male web-building spiders face a significant problem: how to begin courting female spiders without being mistaken for prey? Male Argiope spiders generate distinctive courtship vibrations (shudders) when entering a female's web. We tested whether courtship shudders delay female predatory behavi...

The duration of cirral withdrawal in Balanus glandula (Darwin) varies by a factor of three depending on the type of stimulus applied. Contact with potential predators including thaidid gastropods (Thais emarginata, T. lamellosa), and forcipulate asteroids (Leptasterias hexactis, Pycnopodia helianthoides) elicits significantly longer withdrawal durations than contact with an herbivorous gastropo...