AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Predator vs prey book by lee martin4/11/2024 ![]() ![]() When exposed to sudden threatening stimuli such as ambush predators, most prey species initiate escape responses that include turning swiftly and accelerating away from the threat. The findings could also reveal how sensory information (such as sound and sight) associated with the threat of an approaching predator is processed and stimulates the muscle activity required to escape in multiple different directions. This could help researchers better understand how predators and prey interact with one another. The model could also be extended to test the escape trajectories of a wider variety of predator and prey species, which may avoid capture via different routes. These findings shed light on why escaping in multiple specific directions makes prey harder to catch. Which strategy the prey chooses has some elements of unpredictability, which makes it more difficult for predators to adjust their capturing method. The new model suggests that prey escape along one of two directions: either by moving directly away from the predator in order to outrun its attack, or by dodging sideways to avoid being captured. By including these two factors, they were able to reproduce the escape trajectories of real animals, including a species of fish, as well as species from other taxa such as frogs and insects. incorporated the time required for prey to change direction and only allowed the predators to move toward the prey for a limited distance. ![]() built a new mathematical model that better represents how prey and predators interact with one another in the real world. To investigate this puzzle, Kawabata et al. However, experimental data suggest that prey actually tend to escape via multiple specific directions, although why animals use this approach has not been clarified. Previous models were able to predict the optimal direction an animal should take to maximize its chances of evading the predator. The initial direction the prey chooses to take – known as its escape trajectory – can greatly impact their chance of survival. When a prey spots a predator about to pounce, it turns swiftly and accelerates away to avoid being captured. Our results open new avenues of investigation for understanding how animals choose their ETs from behavioral and neurosensory perspectives. By changing the parameters of the same model within a realistic range, we were able to produce various patterns of ETs empirically observed in other species (e.g., insects and frogs): a single preferred ET and multiple preferred ETs at small (20–50°) and large (150–180°) angles from the predator. By fitting the model to the experimental data of fish Pagrus major, we show that the model can clearly explain the observed multiple preferred ETs. ![]() The optimal ET was determined by maximizing the time difference of arrival at the edge of the safety zone between the prey and predator. Here, we constructed a novel geometric model that incorporates the time required for prey to turn and the predator’s position at the end of its attack. Although such a high ET variability may confer unpredictability to avoid predation, the reasons why animals prefer specific multiple ETs remain unclear. Previous geometric models predict a single ET however, many species show highly variable ETs with multiple preferred directions. The escape trajectory (ET) of prey – measured as the angle relative to the predator’s approach path – plays a major role in avoiding predation.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |