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Related Concept Videos

Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

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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.
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Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

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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.
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Distribution and Dispersion00:54

Distribution and Dispersion

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To understand intra-specific interactions in populations, scientists measure the spatial arrangement of species individuals. This geographic arrangement is known as the species distribution or dispersion. Highly territorial species exhibit a uniform distribution pattern, in which individuals are spaced at relatively equal distances from one another. Species that are highly tied to particular resources, such as food or shelter, tend to concentrate around those resources, and thus exhibit a...
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Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
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Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

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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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Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

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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...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern
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Does prey dispersion affect frequency-dependent predation by wild birds?

Stuart C Church1, Michael Jowers2, John A Allen2

  • 1Centre for Behavioural Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK Fax: +44 (0)117 925 3747; e-mail: s.c.church@bristol.ac.uk, , , , , , GB.

Oecologia
|March 18, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Prey dispersion did not affect bird predation selectivity, but birds preferred rarer prey (anti-apostatic selection). This preference varied by location and prey density, influenced by predator behavior and species diversity.

Keywords:
BirdDensityDispersionKey words Frequency dependenceSelective predation

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Predator-Prey Dynamics

Background:

  • Natural prey are often non-randomly dispersed, yet the impact of this dispersion on selective predation remains understudied.
  • Frequency-dependent selection occurs when predators prefer certain prey frequencies, but dispersion effects are poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how prey dispersion patterns (random vs. clumped) influence frequency-dependent selective predation by wild birds.
  • To assess the impact of absolute prey density and location on predation selectivity.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental manipulation of artificial prey (green/brown pastry baits) with varying dispersion patterns and densities (25 or 100 prey m⁻²).
  • Field experiments conducted at two distinct sites in Southampton, England, and Aljarafe, Spain.
  • Analysis of prey selection based on frequency-dependent and -independent preferences.

Main Results:

  • Prey dispersion pattern (random or clumped) did not significantly affect predator selectivity.
  • Frequency-dependent selection was consistently anti-apostatic, with rarer prey being preferred.
  • Anti-apostatic selection strength varied between locations and was higher at greater prey densities.

Conclusions:

  • Prey dispersion appears to have minimal impact on avian predation selectivity under the tested conditions, possibly due to high prey densities providing complete frequency information.
  • Anti-apostatic selection was observed, suggesting predators may target rare prey, potentially impacting prey population dynamics.
  • Observed variations in selection strength between sites are likely attributable to predator flocking behavior and local species diversity.