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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.

Competition

Competition

When organisms require the same limited resources within an environment, they may have to compete for them. Competition is a net-negative interaction. Even if two competing individuals or populations do not interact directly, the overall fitness of both competitors is lowered as a result of not having full access to the limited resource.

Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores

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Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores

Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores

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Frequency-dependent Selection

Frequency-dependent Selection

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Ecological Niches

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Herbivore-induced Blueberry Volatiles and Intra-plant Signaling

Herbivore-induced Blueberry Volatiles and Intra-plant Signaling

Published on: December 18, 2011

Natal Host Plants Can Alter Herbivore Competition.

Huipeng Pan^1,2, Evan L Preisser³, Qi Su²

¹Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China, Key Laboratory of Bio-Pesticide Innovation and Application, Engineering Technology Research Center of Agricultural Pest Biocontrol of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, China.

|December 29, 2016

Summary

Natal host plants significantly impact whitefly competition. The study shows that the plant a whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) grows on influences its competitive interactions with other whitefly species on new host plants.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Entomology
Agricultural Science

Background:

Interspecific herbivore competition shapes ecological communities.
Plant community structure can influence herbivore interactions.
Natal host plant effects on herbivores are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how the natal host plant affects competitive interactions between Bemisia tabaci cryptic species (MEAM1 and MED).
To determine if herbivore performance and competitive outcomes change based on the natal host plant and subsequent host plant exposure.

Main Methods:

Rearing MEAM1 (cabbage-derived) and MED (poinsettia-derived) whiteflies together on cotton, poinsettia, and cabbage.
Observing and quantifying competitive dominance of each species on different host plants.

Main Results:

MED dominated on poinsettia; MEAM1 dominated on cabbage, consistent with prior research.
MED dominated MEAM1 on cotton, contradicting studies using same-natal-plant pairings.
Natal host plant origin influenced interspecific whitefly competition on a novel host plant.

Conclusions:

The natal host plant significantly alters interspecific herbivore competition.
Neighboring plant species can influence herbivore community dynamics in agricultural systems.
Understanding natal host effects is crucial for predicting herbivore community composition.