Search research articles

Related Concept Videos

Trophic Efficiency

Trophic Efficiency

Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) is a measure of the total energy transfer from one trophic level to the next. Due to extensive energy loss as metabolic heat, an average of only 10% of the original energy obtained is passed on to the next level. This pattern of energy loss severely limits the possible number of trophic levels in a food chain.

Trophic Levels

Trophic Levels

All organisms in an ecosystem occupy a trophic level in the food chain. The lowest level consists of primary producers, which synthesize their food from either solar or chemical energy. Each subsequent level obtains energy from the levels below. Detritivores can occupy any of the levels above primary producers.

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.

Symbiosis

Symbiosis

Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...

Limits to Natural Selection

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.

Ecological Niches

Ecological Niches

All organisms have a position within an ecosystem. The complete set of living and nonliving factors—including food resources, climate, and terrain—that define the position of a given organism are collectively referred to as the organism’s ecological niche.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Warming increases trophic cascade strength in an aquatic food chain.

The Journal of animal ecology·2026

Same author

Evidence for the Stability Selection Mechanism in a Live Predator-Prey System.

Ecology letters·2026

Same author

FracFeed: Global database of the fraction of feeding predators.

Ecology·2026

Same author

Body Mass-Biomass Scaling Modulates Species Keystone-Ness to Press Perturbations.

Ecology letters·2025

Same author

The global diet diversity spectrum in avian apex predators.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2024

Same author

How Hot is too Hot? Metabolic Responses to Temperature Across Life Stages of a Small Ectotherm.

Integrative and comparative biology·2024

Same journal

A New Framework to Empower Ecosystem Assessment Through the Integration of eDNA Inventories, Graph Theory and Niche Modelling.

Ecology letters·2026

Same journal

Correction to 'Artificial Light at Night Consistently Impacts Avian Physiology and Behaviour: A Meta-Analysis'.

Ecology letters·2026

Same journal

Lucky To Be Alive, Luckier to Breed: Lifetime Reproduction in Weddell Seals.

Ecology letters·2026

Same journal

Three-Dimensional Correlated Random Walks for Animal Movement and Habitat Selection.

Ecology letters·2026

Same journal

Higher-Order Interactions Can Promote Coexistence by Rewiring Intransitivities Into Competitive Networks.

Ecology letters·2026

Same journal

Plants That Evolved Under High Phylogenetic Diversity Have Higher Invasion Success, Particularly in Undisturbed Communities.

Ecology letters·2026

See all related articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2025

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Simple, Universal Rules Predict Trophic Interaction Strengths.

Kyle E Coblentz¹, Mark Novak², John P DeLong¹

¹School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Ecology Letters

|April 30, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study proposes two rules to explain predator functional responses, revealing ecological constraints on trophic interaction evolution. These findings offer an ultimate explanation for how predator feeding rates scale with prey density.

Keywords:

allometric scaling consumer–resource interactions evolution feeding rates macroecology

More Related Videos

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems

Published on: July 30, 2019

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 2025

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems

Published on: July 30, 2019

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Theoretical Ecology

Background:

Ecological systems often display scaling relationships, but the underlying mechanisms, particularly for trophic interaction strengths, remain poorly understood.
Trophic interaction strengths show scaling with predator and prey traits, yet lack clear evolutionary explanations.
The predator functional response, describing feeding rate relative to prey density, is a key aspect of trophic interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose and test two fundamental rules explaining the scaling of predator functional responses.
To provide an ultimate evolutionary explanation for the determinants of trophic interaction strengths.
To link ecological constraints to the adaptive evolution of functional responses.

Main Methods:

Formulated two rules based on predator energetic demands at low prey densities and maximal feeding rates at high prey densities.
Derived equations from these rules to predict functional response parameters.
Validated the model against over 2100 empirical functional response experiments.

Main Results:

The proposed rules successfully predict functional response parameters across a large dataset of experiments.
The model accurately predicts allometric scaling relationships within functional responses.
The findings demonstrate that ecological constraints can shape the evolution of complex adaptive traits.

Conclusions:

The two proposed rules offer a unifying framework for understanding trophic interaction strengths.
Ecological realized constraints, rather than solely adaptive evolution, are critical determinants of functional response evolution.
This work provides a potential ultimate explanation for the scaling of ecological interactions.