Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Predator-Prey Interactions

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...

Microbial Interactions: Predation

Microbial Interactions: Predation

Microbial predation refers to the process by which one microorganism kills and consumes another to obtain nutrients and energy. It encompasses both bacterial and protozoan predators. This interaction plays a crucial role in shaping microbial communities and regulating nutrient cycling.Bacterial Predators: Epibiotic vs. EndobioticBacterial predators are classified based on their mode of attack as either epibiotic or endobiotic. Epibiotic predators, such as Vampirococcus, attach to the surface of...

Optimal Foraging

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.

Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores

Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores

Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the biosynthesis of the...

Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores

Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores

Plants present a rich source of nutrients for many organisms, making it a target for herbivores and infectious agents. Plants, though lacking a proper immune system, have developed an array of constitutive and inducible defenses to fend off these attacks.

Threats to Biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity

There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Desert lizards modulate nutritional responses to match seasonal biological needs.

Royal Society open science·2026

Same author

Bat Colony and Cave Zone Shape Arthropod Assemblages in Levantine Caves.

Insects·2026

Same author

Revisiting decomposition theory through a macro-detritivore lens.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2025

Same author

Local Thermal Extremes Shape the Nature of Herbivore Plasticity That Controls Plant Communities.

Ecology letters·2025

Same author

Ecosystem Effects of Predators Are Amplified Across Generations Through Prey Behavioural Plasticity.

Ecology letters·2025

Same author

Zoogeochemical niche construction: how animal-mediated biogeochemistry affects evolution.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

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

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

Published on: March 12, 2013

Herbivore physiological response to predation risk and implications for ecosystem nutrient dynamics.

Dror Hawlena¹, Oswald J Schmitz

¹School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|August 18, 2010

Summary

Predation risk alters herbivore physiology, shifting nutrient constraints from nitrogen to digestible carbon. This impacts ecosystem nutrient transfer and food web dynamics.

More Related Videos

A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms

A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms

Published on: January 11, 2015

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

Published on: September 4, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

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

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

Published on: March 12, 2013

A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms

A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms

Published on: January 11, 2015

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

Published on: September 4, 2016

Area of Science:

Ecology
Animal Physiology
Nutrient Cycling

Background:

Nutrient transfer through ecosystems influences production, food chain length, and species diversity.
Traditionally, nutrient transfer is thought to be limited by herbivores' ability to acquire nitrogen-rich compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how physiological stress responses in herbivores due to predation risk alter nutrient transfer dynamics.
To determine if predation risk changes the primary nutrient constraint for herbivores.

Main Methods:

Utilized feeding trials with artificial diets to compare grasshopper herbivores under predation risk versus control conditions.
Measured metabolic rates, dietary requirements, and Carbon:Nitrogen (C:N) content in herbivores, plant communities, and fecal matter.

Main Results:

Grasshoppers exposed to predation risk exhibited higher metabolic rates, increasing their need for digestible carbohydrate-C.
The primary nutrient constraint shifted from plant Carbon:Nitrogen (C:N) to digestible plant Carbon (C).
This dietary shift led to increased C:N content in herbivores, their selected plant diet, and their fecal matter.

Conclusions:

Herbivore physiological stress, induced by predation risk, can flexibly alter C:N requirements and nutrient intake.
Predation risk changes the quality of resources entering the detrital pool, affecting decomposition.
This provides a mechanism for context-dependent trophic control over ecosystem nutrient transfer.