Learning predator promotes coexistence of prey species in host-parasitoid systems.

ABSTRACT: Ecological theory suggests that frequency-dependent predation, in which more common prey types are disproportionately favored, promotes the coexistence of competing prey species. However, many of the earlier empirical studies that investigated the effect of frequency-dependent predation were short-term and ignored predator-prey dynamics and system persistence. Therefore, we used long-term observation of population dynamics to test how frequency-dependent predation influences the dynamics and coexistence of competing prey species using insect laboratory populations. We established two-host-one-parasitoid populations with two bruchid beetles, Callosobruchus chinensis and C. maculatus, as the hosts and the pteromalid wasp Anisopteromalus calandrae as their common parasitoid. When the parasito

SUBMITTER: Ishii Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3324012 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature