Research Document - 2008/032
Behavioural interactions between predators and their prey in marine ecosystems
By D.C. Lidgard and W.D. Bowen
Abstract
The presence of a predator may impact the abundance of their prey through non-lethal means by inducing changes in the phenotype or traits of the prey. Such interactions arise because individuals are faced with a common trade-off, between predation risk and some aspect of their life history strategy, e.g. energy intake or reproduction. Non-lethal interactions in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems are common and their importance has been demonstrated, but there is a lack of studies for marine ecosystems particularly among top predators. To assess our current knowledge of non-lethal interactions between top marine predators and their prey a survey of the ecological literature was conducted. Twelve studies were found that detailed changes in habitat use and activity levels according to predation risk. Most studies involved the disruption of foraging behaviour but three studies reported the disruption of reproductive behaviour. The lack of studies on non-lethal interactions between large marine predators and their prey is likely not a reflection of their ecological importance, but rather a reflection of the difficulty of studying such interactions in large species in an ocean environment. A better understanding of the prevalence and magnitude of non-lethal interactions in marine communities is needed to better understand the full impact of predators on prey populations.
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