Predator-prey Model
Predator-prey Model - Related Videos
02:39
Predator-Prey Interactions
0 Views •
2026
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.Although predation is commonly associated with carnivory, for...
02:14
Prey Capture Assay: A Method to Study the Prey Capture Behavior of Zebrafish Larva
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2023
This video describes the prey capture assay. The video discusses the method to study prey capture behavior of zebrafish larvae after the laser ablation of specific neurons.
03:21
Live-Cell Time-Lapse Imaging of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus Predation on E. coli
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2026
Source: Makowski, Ł., et al. Live-Cell Imaging of the Life Cycle of Bacterial Predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus using Time-Lapse Fluorescence Microscopy. J. Vis. Exp. (2020)This video demonstrates time-lapse fluorescence imaging of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus preying on immobilized E. coli beneath an agarose pad, enabling real-time visualization of intracellular replication and progeny release for studying bacterial predation and host-pathogen interactions.
12:24
Laboratory Estimation of Net Trophic Transfer Efficiencies of PCB Congeners to Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from Its Prey
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Cited by 1 •
2014
A technique for laboratory estimation of net trophic transfer efficiency of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners to piscivorous fish from their prey is presented. To maximize applicability of the laboratory results to the field, the piscivorous fish should be fed prey fish that are typically eaten in the field.
10:20
Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
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Cited by 6 •
2013
We present methods to evaluate how predation risk can alter the chemical quality of herbivore prey by inducing dietary changes to meet demands of heightened stress, and how the decomposition of carcasses from these stressed herbivores slows subsequent plant litter decomposition by soil microbes.
FAQs
Prey growth and predator effects enter the equations as separate terms. One term describes how prey increase when predators are absent, while another represents prey losses caused by predation. A corresponding predator term links reproduction to consumed prey. This coupling allows a change in one population to influence the other rather than treating their trajectories as independent.
Encounter rates influence how strongly contact between predators and prey changes population sizes. Higher or lower rates can alter prey losses through predation and, indirectly, the reproductive support available to predators. Because these rates interact with population growth, they help determine whether the modeled system approaches an equilibrium, develops cycles, or becomes unstable.
The outcome depends on the relationships among prey growth rates, predator-prey encounter rates, and environmental conditions. Under one combination, population changes may settle toward an equilibrium. Under another, predator and prey numbers may repeatedly rise and fall, while different conditions can produce instability. Comparing these outcomes helps researchers assess how sensitive population dynamics are to changing ecological circumstances.
Researchers first represent prey growth, predation-related prey loss, and predator reproduction with coupled differential equations. They then examine how the modeled populations change under selected growth rates, encounter rates, and environmental conditions. The resulting trajectories can be evaluated for cycles, equilibrium states, or instability, providing a structured way to interpret the consequences of ecological interactions.
Wildlife managers can use the model to interpret population dynamics and assess possible effects of species removal. By examining how predator and prey populations respond within the coupled system, they can consider whether an intervention might alter stability or produce continuing population fluctuations. This supports evaluation of management choices before relating them to observed ecosystem conditions.
A model can provide a framework for considering how habitat change may modify the conditions governing predator and prey populations. Researchers can examine whether altered environmental conditions are associated with different cycles, equilibria, or instability in the modeled system. These results help connect population-level interactions with broader changes in community structure and ecosystem stability.