Competition between belugas and Greenland halibut in Cumberland Sound in the Arctic has changed with the climate. Belugas and halibut are considered intraguild predators, i.e. predators that feed on one another to reduce competition for resources. Researchers have tracked predation between the two species over a 30-year period. Their findings show that the belugas consume […]
Tag: predator-prey relationship
The dynamics of food webs
New research proposes a model to explain how simple food webs are formed within a community. A food web links each species with its predators and prey, but it’s not clear how any particular association emerges from a wide range of possible webs. In the present study, researchers describe a principle of mutual replenishment, which […]
Predator birds and mammals have a stronger fear of the unknown
Neophobia – the fear of unfamiliar stimuli – is more pronounced among birds and mammals, especially those reared in the wild, than in other animals, a recent meta-analysis reveals. Researchers looked into different kinds of neophobia among predators, both wild-caught and captive, to see which animals brave the novelty better. Their findings also identified that […]