Response of Wollastoniella rotunda (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) to volatiles from eggplants infested with its prey Thrips palmi and Tetranychus kanzawai: Prey species and density effects

Abstract Predation on bivalve mollusks by gastropod mollusks is common in coastal regions of the United States; however, few previous studies have examined whether drilling gastropods exhibit prey selection. In 2016, shells with small holes drilled by as many as two gastropod predators were collected at three sites separated by 30 km along the Texas Upper Gulf Coast on the Bolivar Peninsula (29° 40′N, 94° 90′W). The likeliest predators in these waters are the southern oyster drill (Stramonita haemastoma Linnaeus 1767) and the moon snail (Neverita duplicate Say 1822). Collected shells were identified to species and measurements were taken to examine statistical relationships between predators and prey species. These measurements included drill-hole diameter, shell thickness, drill-hole completeness, number of drill attempts, and collection site. Across the three locations, 17 different species of shells with drill holes were collected; of these, we focused on the ten most abundant species (n = 277 shells). The sample showed high variation in drill-hole diameter, shell thickness, and drill-hole completeness. Both the total number of holes and mean drill-hole diameter differed significantly among prey species (ANOVA, both P < 0.0001). In addition, drill-hole diameter correlated directly with prey shell thickness (P < 0.0001). Shells whose drill holes were complete were significantly thinner than shells with incomplete holes (P < 0.0001). Mean prey shell thickness, mean drill-hole diameter, and mean number of drill holes all differed significantly by collection site (all P < 0.0001). Ecological and morphological implications related to gastropod predation on mollusks are discussed.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Ethnic density effects on birth outcomes and maternal smoking during pregnancy in the US linked birth and infant death data set.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.4732957.4622055 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Yvonne Michael ◽

Joan Rosen Bloch

Keyword(s):

Birth Outcomes ◽

Infant Death ◽

Maternal Smoking ◽

Ethnic Density ◽

Data Set ◽

Smoking During Pregnancy ◽

Density Effects ◽

The Us ◽

Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy ◽

Death Data

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Diet

10.1093/oso/9780198712145.003.0003 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

M.G.L. Mills ◽

M.E.J. Mills

Keyword(s):

Prey Species ◽

Radio Tracking ◽

Relative Occurrence ◽

Important Prey ◽

Individual Prey ◽

Sibling Groups

Four methods were used to document the diet of cheetahs: incidental observations, radio tracking, tracking, spoor, and continuous follows. A combination of continuous follows and tracking spoor gave the best results. Steenbok were the most frequently killed species, but they did not dominate the diet in the same way as Thomson’s gazelle do in the Serengeti. Coalition males have a different diet profile from single males, single females, females with cubs, and sibling groups. For all but single males, the relative occurrence of prey species in the diet reflected its dietary importance in terms of kilograms of meat obtained. Gemsbok calves and adult ostrich were important prey for coalition males and springhares were important for single males. Three individual prey specializations for females were found; namely springbok specialists, steenbok/duiker specialists, and intermediates. Contrary to an earlier study, springbok were not found to be the most important prey species.

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The population dynamics of bite-sized predators: prey dependence, territoriality, and mobility

10.1093/oso/9780198759805.003.0004 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Xavier Lambin

Keyword(s):

Prey Species ◽

Top Down ◽

Predator Prey ◽

Biological Barrier ◽

Reciprocal Interactions ◽

Demographic Rates ◽

Risk Of Predation ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Rodent Prey ◽

Small Mustelids

The dependency of mustelid demographic rates on prey abundance has the potential to cause a strong coupling between predator-prey populations. Data on mustelid dynamics show that such strong reciprocal interactions only materialise in some restricted conditions. Bite-size mustelid predators searching for scarce, depleted prey expose themselves to increased risk of predation by larger predators of small mammal that are themselves searching for similar prey species. As voles or muskrats become scarcer, weasels and mink searching for prey over larger areas become increasingly exposed to intra-guild predation, unless they operate in a habitat refuge such as the sub-nivean space. Where larger predators are sufficiently abundant or exert year-round predation pressure on small mustelids, their impact on mustelids may impose biological barrier to dispersal that are sufficient to weaken the coupling between small mustelids and their rodent prey, and thus impose a degree of top down limitation on mustelids.

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