ISSN:
1572-9702
Schlagwort(e):
Foraging behaviour
;
searching efficiency
;
predator–prey interaction
;
specialization
Quelle:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Thema:
Biologie
Notizen:
Abstract Prey species often distribute themselves patchily in their habitats.In response to this spatial variation in prey density, some predator speciesaggregate in patches of higher prey density. This paper reviews a seriesof laboratory experiments to demonstrate the patterns of responses byphytoseiid predators (Phytoseiulus persimilis, Typhlodromusoccidentalis and Amblyseius andersoni) to spatial variationin the density of their spider mite prey (Tetranychus urticae)and reveal the behavioural mechanisms underlying the observed patterns.In addition, patterns of aggregation were examined at a variety of spatialscales on plants in greenhouses. The patterns, mechanisms and spatialscale of aggregation in three predatory species are discussed in relationto their varying degrees of polyphagy. The results show that a specialistpredator species (1) aggregates more strongly than generalist predators,(2) does so not because it finds prey patches of high density more easilybut because it remains in these patches longer than generalist predatorsand (3) tends to aggregate more often at lower levels of spatial scalethan generalist predators. It is suggested that these conclusions, basedmainly on laboratory studies of a small sample of species, should be testedin the future on a wider selection of specialist and generalist speciesat different scales in the field.
Materialart:
Digitale Medien
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1018475728005
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