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Related Concept Videos

Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

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...
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Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
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In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
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Microbial Interactions: Predation

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Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

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Published on: March 12, 2013

Does sex-selective predation stabilize or destabilize predator-prey dynamics?

David S Boukal1, Ludek Berec, Vlastimil Krivan

  • 1Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway.

Plos One
|July 17, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Sex-selective predation, particularly on males, can stabilize predator-prey dynamics, while female-biased predation may destabilize populations. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for managing exploited species and hunting practices.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Population Dynamics

Background:

  • Limited understanding of how prey sexual dimorphism affects predator-prey interactions.
  • Uncertainty regarding the long-term stability of exploited populations under sex-selective harvesting and trophy hunting.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence for sex-selective predation.
  • To model the long-term consequences of sex-selective predation on predator-prey dynamics.
  • To assess implications for harvesting and conservation of sexually dimorphic species.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of quantitative evidence for sex-selective predation.
  • Development and analysis of simple predator-prey models.
  • Interpretation of models in the context of open-access exploitation and harvesting feedback.

Main Results:

  • Male-biased predation is more common (2.3x) than female-biased predation among 81 studied pairs.
  • Predation on the 'less limiting' prey sex (typically males) can stabilize dynamics.
  • Predation on the 'more limiting' sex (typically females) often destabilizes dynamics, leading to population collapses.

Conclusions:

  • Observed male-biased predation may stem from evolutionary history and sexual selection.
  • Predation on less limiting prey sex can stabilize otherwise unstable predator-prey systems.
  • Findings have implications for sustainable harvesting, trophy hunting, and understanding persistence of predator-prey pairs.