Predator–prey interactions

Abstract

Predation is a widespread population process that has evolved many times within the metazoa. It can affect the distribution, abundance, and dynamics of species in ecosystems. For instance, the distribution of western tussock moth is known to be affected by a parasitic wasp (Maron and Harrison, 1997; Hastings et al., 1998), the abundance of different competitors can be shaped by the presence or absence of predators (e.g. Paine, 1966), and natural enemies (such as many parasitoids) can shape the dynamics of a number of ecological interactions (Hassell, 1978, 2000). The broad aim of this chapter is to explore the dynamical effects of predators (including the large groupings of insect parasitoids) and show how our understanding of predator–prey interactions scales from knowledge of the behaviour and local patch dynamics to the population and regional (metapopulation) levels. We draw on a number of approaches including behavioural studies, population dynamics, and time-series analysis, and use models to describe the data and dynamics of the interaction between predators and prey. Predator–prey interactions have an inherent tendency to fluctuate and show oscillatory behaviour. If predators are initially rare, then the size of the prey population can increase. As prey population size increases, the predator populations also begins to increase, which in turn has a detrimental effect on the prey population leading to a decline in prey numbers. As prey become scarce then the predator population size declines and the cycle starts again. These intuitive dynamics can be captured by one of the simplest mathematical descriptions of a predator–prey interaction: the Lotka–Volterra model (Lotka, 1925; Volterra, 1926). Specifically, the Lotka–Volterra model for an interaction between a predator (P) and its prey (N) is a continuous-time model and has the form : where r is the prey-population growth rate in the absence of predators, α is the predator attack rate, c is the (positive) impact of prey on predators, and d is the death rate of predators in the absence of their prey resource.