Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Microbial Interactions: Predation01:28

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...
Pharmacodynamic Models: Overview01:27

Pharmacodynamic Models: Overview

Pharmacodynamic (PD) responses describe the interaction between a drug and its biological target, culminating in a physiological effect. These responses can be classified into different types: continuous variables, such as blood glucose levels; categorical outcomes, like survival rates; and time-to-event metrics, such as disease progression. Understanding and modeling PD responses are critical for optimizing drug efficacy and safety.PD models describe the relationship between drug concentration...
Methods to Assess Microbial Populations01:30

Methods to Assess Microbial Populations

Assessing microbial populations is crucial for understanding microbial roles in health, ecology, and industry. Various complementary techniques—both culture-based and molecular—enable detailed analysis of microbial abundance, diversity, and function.Viable Plate CountThe viable plate count is a traditional culture-based method used to estimate the number of living microbes in a sample. After serial dilution, the sample is spread onto nutrient agar plates. Each viable cell forms a visible...
Marine Microbial Ecology01:30

Marine Microbial Ecology

Marine microbial ecosystems are shaped by distinct physicochemical limits, including high salinity, low nutrient availability, and fluctuating oxygen levels. These conditions favor smaller microbial cell sizes, which maximize their surface-to-volume ratio for efficient nutrient uptake.Microbial activity and community composition are closely linked to biogeochemical cycles, particularly in dynamic environments like estuaries, where halotolerant microbes thrive in response to variable salinity...
Microbial Interactions: Parasitism01:22

Microbial Interactions: Parasitism

Parasitism is a form of microbial interaction in which parasitic microbes exploit a host organism for nutrients and shelter, often at the host's expense. Unlike mutualistic relationships, where both organisms benefit, parasitism benefits only the parasite and harms the host.Classification of ParasitesMicrobial parasites are broadly classified based on their location relative to the host.Ectoparasites remain on the host’s surface, such as the skin or outer tissues, drawing nutrients...
Microbial Growth Measurement: Indirect Methods01:27

Microbial Growth Measurement: Indirect Methods

Estimating microbial growth is essential for understanding population dynamics and environmental adaptations. Indirect methods provide valuable insights by measuring parameters such as turbidity, metabolic activity, and biomass, enabling efficient and reproducible assessments.During exponential growth, microbial cells scatter light proportionally to their biomass, a principle used in turbidity measurements. About one million cells per milliliter produce detectable scattering, which a...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

SurvivEHR: a competing risks, time-to-event foundation model for multiple long-term conditions from primary care electronic health records.

NPJ digital medicine·2026
Same author

Considerations for the clinical use of teplizumab in stage 2 Type 1 diabetes: A Consensus Statement from the British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) and the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD).

Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association·2026
Same author

The value of learned societies in the biological sciences: benefits, threats, and futures.

BMC biology·2026
Same author

Leveraging the PEDSnet clinical research network and electronic health record data to enhance efficiency of trial enrollment for a rare pediatric rheumatic disease.

Pediatric rheumatology online journal·2026
Same author

Host heterogeneity and unpredictability in parasite outbreaks.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Co-circulation and co-infection: parasite interactions across scales.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Estimating Virus Production Rates in Aquatic Systems
10:49

Estimating Virus Production Rates in Aquatic Systems

Published on: September 22, 2010

Prey-dependent mortality rate: a critical parameter in microbial models.

Ewan J A Minter1, Andy Fenton, Jennifer Cooper

  • 1Institute of Integrative Biology, Biosciences Building, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK.

Microbial Ecology
|March 12, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Predator mortality in ecosystems depends on prey availability. This study introduces a new method to measure this prey-dependent mortality, improving ecological models for microbial populations.

More Related Videos

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

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

Published on: March 12, 2013

Fluorescently Labeled Bacteria as a Tracer to Reveal Novel Pathways of Organic Carbon Flow in Aquatic Ecosystems
09:35

Fluorescently Labeled Bacteria as a Tracer to Reveal Novel Pathways of Organic Carbon Flow in Aquatic Ecosystems

Published on: September 13, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Estimating Virus Production Rates in Aquatic Systems
10:49

Estimating Virus Production Rates in Aquatic Systems

Published on: September 22, 2010

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

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

Published on: March 12, 2013

Fluorescently Labeled Bacteria as a Tracer to Reveal Novel Pathways of Organic Carbon Flow in Aquatic Ecosystems
09:35

Fluorescently Labeled Bacteria as a Tracer to Reveal Novel Pathways of Organic Carbon Flow in Aquatic Ecosystems

Published on: September 13, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Microbial Ecology
  • Population Dynamics

Background:

  • Protozoa are crucial in ecosystems, but ecological models lack accurate predator loss rate parameters.
  • Top-level predator mortality is often simplified as constant, neglecting prey-dependent influences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose that top-level predator mortality is prey-dependent.
  • To develop a novel method for assessing predator mortality in response to prey abundance.
  • To demonstrate the ecological significance of prey-dependent mortality in microbial predator-prey models.

Main Methods:

  • Used ciliates (Paramecium caudatum and Didinium nasutum) to study predator mortality across varying prey densities.
  • Quantified daily predator mortality and growth rates over 3 days at different prey concentrations.
  • Developed a predator-prey model (Rosenzweig-MacArthur structure) parameterized with empirical data and literature values.

Main Results:

  • A strong, non-linear, concave decline in predator mortality was observed with increasing prey abundance.
  • Models with constant mortality rates (high and low) showed dynamics significantly different from variable rates.
  • Even an average constant mortality rate produced discrepancies in cycle periods and population minima compared to variable rates.

Conclusions:

  • Predator mortality is significantly influenced by prey availability, exhibiting a prey-dependent pattern.
  • Incorporating variable, prey-dependent mortality rates substantially enhances the accuracy of microbial-based ecological models.
  • The novel method provides a more realistic parameterization for predator-prey dynamics in microbial ecosystems.