What happens when predators do not completely consume their prey?
A mathematical model is presented for the dynamics of predator-prey interactions when predators do not consume prey (or clumps of prey) in their entirety. Using a combination of analytical and numerical methods, I demonstrate that predator-mediated changes in the distribution of intact and partially consumed prey can affect the outcome of competition between predators in unexpected ways. In come cases, two predators can coexist on a single prey species owing to tradeoffs between the ability to consume prey completely and other competitive abilities. In other cases, predators exhibit frequency-dependent dynamics in which the first predator to occupy the habitat can prevent the other from invading. Conditions for stable coexistence usually expand if the larger predator scatters uneaten prey parts, if prey renewal includes both small and large items, or if the predator with the smaller retrieval capacity is poor at catching intact prey relative to the other predator.
Mittler
J
J
Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico 87545, USA.
D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D008954:Models, Biological; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011235:Predatory Behavior