Reciprocal behavioral plasticity and behavioral types during predator-prey interactions.

ABSTRACT: How predators and prey interact has important consequences for population dynamics and community stability. Here we explored how predator-prey interactions are simultaneously affected by reciprocal behavioral plasticity (i.e., plasticity in prey defenses countered by plasticity in predator offenses and vice versa) and consistent individual behavioral variation (i.e., behavioral types) within both predator and prey populations. We assessed the behavior of a predator species (northern pike) and a prey species (three-spined stickleback) during one-on-one encounters. We also measured additional behavioral and morphological traits in each species. Using structural equation modeling, we found that reciprocal behavioral plasticity as well as predator and prey behavioral types influenced how indiv

SUBMITTER: McGhee KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3965372 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature