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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.
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.
Types of Selection01:46

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...
Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
Inclusive Fitness00:57

Inclusive Fitness

Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.
Optimal Foraging00:48

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes
06:27

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

Published on: September 4, 2016

Predator fitness increases with selectivity for odd prey.

Christian Rutz1

  • 1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK. christian.rutz@zoo.ox.ac.uk

Current Biology : CB
|April 17, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Goshawks hunting rare pigeon colors boosts their reproductive success. This predator-prey dynamic, driven by foraging behavior, maintains pigeon color diversity despite hawk selection.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Darwinian fitness is key in animal decision-making models.
  • Foraging ecology studies often use energy intake rates, not reproductive success, to assess strategies.
  • A direct link between predator foraging and reproductive fitness is rarely studied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To empirically link goshawk foraging behavior to their reproductive fitness.
  • To investigate the role of prey color variants in predator attack success.
  • To understand the selective pressures on prey color polymorphism.

Main Methods:

  • Studied a vertebrate predator-prey system: goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) and feral pigeons (Columba livia).
  • Recorded goshawk foraging behavior, specifically their selectivity for rare pigeon color variants.

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  • Measured individual goshawk reproductive performance and controlled for age effects.

    • Main Results:

    • Goshawks selectively prey on rare color variants of pigeons.
    • Increased goshawk selectivity for odd-colored pigeons significantly correlated with higher reproductive performance.
    • Older goshawks showed stronger dietary preferences, suggesting improved hunting with experience.
    • Negative frequency-dependent predation by goshawks selects against rare pigeon phenotypes.

    Conclusions:

    • Predator foraging selectivity for rare prey variants can directly enhance predator reproductive fitness.
    • Pigeon color polymorphism is maintained by negative assortative mating, counteracting selection pressure.
    • Experience enhances predator hunting efficiency and selectivity.