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

Habitat Fragmentation02:31

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
Anorexia Nervosa01:28

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of weight gain, an unrelenting pursuit of thinness, and a distorted body image. It often leads to dangerously low body weight relative to an individual's age and height. This disorder is marked by significant physical and psychological consequences, making it one of the most life-threatening psychiatric illnesses.
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Bulimia Nervosa01:30

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by a cyclical pattern of binge-and-purge eating pattern. It generally involves an episode of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, excessive exercise, laxative use, or fasting, to prevent weight gain. Despite often maintaining a normal weight, individuals with bulimia are intensely preoccupied with their body image and harbor an overwhelming fear of gaining weight. This can contribute to the...
Binge Eating Disorders01:23

Binge Eating Disorders

Binge eating disorder is a significant mental health condition characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive food consumption within a short period, accompanied by a perceived loss of control over eating behavior. Unlike occasional overeating, binge eating disorder is marked by distressing emotions such as guilt, shame, and anxiety following binge episodes. The disorder affects individuals across different ages and backgrounds, with profound implications for physical and psychological...
Robbers Cave04:49

Robbers Cave

During the 1950s, the landmark Robbers Cave experiment demonstrated that when groups must compete with one another, intergroup conflict, hostility, and even violence may result. At the Oklahoman summer camp, two troops of boys—termed the Rattlers and the Eagles—took part in a week-long tournament. During this time, their negativity culminated in derogatory name-calling, fistfights, and even vandalism and destruction of property. However, this work also revealed that such tension could be...
Altruism01:03

Altruism

Altruistic behaviors are “unselfish” behaviors—those that help another individual at the expense of the individual carrying out the behavior. Despite the negative consequences for the altruistic animal, these behaviors are thought to have evolved for several reasons.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Wide-ranging, year-round breaching behaviour of basking sharks revealed by long-term biologging.

Biology letters·2026
Same author

Water availability regulates abrupt shifts in global terrestrial vegetation productivity by reducing resilience.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same author

Lifestyle change accelerates epigenetic ageing in King penguins.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Global natural history infrastructure requires international solidarity, support, and investment in local capacity.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Interaction between three key species in the sea ice-reduced Arctic Barents Sea system.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2024
Same author

Large biomass reduction effect on the relative role of climate, fishing, and recruitment on fish population dynamics.

Scientific reports·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Biocontained Carcass Composting for Control of Infectious Disease Outbreak in Livestock
14:34

Biocontained Carcass Composting for Control of Infectious Disease Outbreak in Livestock

Published on: May 6, 2010

Community-level consequences of cannibalism.

Jan Ohlberger1, Oystein Langangen, Nils C Stenseth

  • 1Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biology, University of Oslo, Norway. jan.ohlberger@bio.uio.no

The American Naturalist
|November 15, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Cannibalism can surprisingly help species coexist within ecological communities. This occurs by shifting biomass between life stages, influencing predator and competitor dynamics.

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

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
07:56

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts

Published on: January 29, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 16, 2026

Biocontained Carcass Composting for Control of Infectious Disease Outbreak in Livestock
14:34

Biocontained Carcass Composting for Control of Infectious Disease Outbreak in Livestock

Published on: May 6, 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

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
07:56

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts

Published on: January 29, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Community Ecology
  • Population Dynamics

Background:

  • Ecological interactions shape community structure and dynamics.
  • Understanding competition, predation, and cannibalism is crucial for ecological theory and management.
  • Cannibalism's role in community-level effects requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the community-level consequences of cannibalism.
  • To model a stage-structured consumer population with density-dependent traits and an ontogenetic diet shift.
  • To analyze how cannibalism affects the invasion and persistence of predators and competitors.

Main Methods:

  • Mathematical modeling of a stage-structured consumer population.
  • Inclusion of density-dependent maturation and reproduction.
  • Incorporation of an ontogenetic diet shift and cannibalism.

Main Results:

  • Cannibalistic interactions can facilitate the coexistence of multiple species.
  • This facilitation occurs at both lower and higher trophic levels.
  • The effect is dependent on the food-dependence of demographic processes, driven by a biomass shift between consumer life stages.

Conclusions:

  • Cannibalism can alter ecological community structure by promoting species coexistence.
  • The biomass distribution shift between life stages is a key mechanism.
  • Findings highlight the significant, often overlooked, role of cannibalism in ecological dynamics.