2017 ESA Annual Meeting (August 6 -- 11)

COS 32-10 - Taking a bird’s eye view to examine predator-prey interactions

Tuesday, August 8, 2017: 11:10 AM
C125-126, Oregon Convention Center
Ashley L. Kissick1, Jeffrey D. Holland1, John B. Dunning Jr.2, Patrice Baumhardt3 and Esteban Fernández-Juricic3, (1)Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, (2)Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, (3)Department of Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Background/Question/Methods

Many invertebrates avoid predator detection with patterns of disruptive coloration or background matching. We used perceptual modeling to examine how predator–prey interactions impact community structure. Perceptual modeling considers the conspicuousness of prey from the visual perspective of a predator. We used a multitrophic community consisting of wood-boring beetles, their generalist beetle predators, and insectivorous birds with a violet- (VS) and ultraviolet- (UVS) sensitive visual system. We then tested whether variations in visual conspicuousness of beetles with backgrounds modulate the degree to which bird abundance impacts beetle abundance.

Results/Conclusions

We found significant relationships between the abundance of highly conspicuous prey and avian predators with a violet-sensitive (VS) visual system. These relationships were strongest when we compared predator and prey groups that use deadwood. Including species’ ecological function and a functional link between predators and prey in multitrophic studies will increase insight into interactions at the community level.