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1. Predation risk and personality influence seed predation and dispersal by a scatter‐hoarding small mammal

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4377  

   Merz, Margaret R.; Boone, Sara R.; Mortelliti, Alessio (January 2023, Ecosphere)

   Abstract Small mammals are key scatter hoarders in forest ecosystems, acting as both seed predators and dispersers. The outcome of their interactions (i.e., predation vs. dispersal) is determined by a series of decisions made by small mammals, such as the choice of seed, whether the seed is immediately consumed or cached, and where it is cached. These decisions are influenced by a variety of factors, including the intrinsic traits of the seed, the individual personality of the scatter hoarder, and the perceived risk of predation while foraging. Furthermore, these factors may all interact to dictate the fate of the seed, with consequences for forest regeneration. Nevertheless, the ways in which perceived predation risk and personality interact to affect the seed dispersal decisions of scatter hoarders are still poorly understood. To contribute in filling this knowledge gap, we tested the hypotheses that southern red‐backed voles (Myodes gapperi), an important scatter hoarder in forest ecosystems, would exhibit personality‐mediated foraging and that predation risk would alter associations between personality and seed dispersal. We conducted a large‐scale field experiment, offering seed trays at stations with altered risk levels and recorded foraging decisions of free‐ranging voles with known personalities. We found that personality and perceived predation risk influenced decisions made by foraging voles. Specifically, docility, and boldness predicted foraging site selection, boldness predicted seed species selection and the number of seeds individuals selected, and the tendency to explore of an individual predicted whether voles would remove or consume seeds. Predation risk, mediated by the amount of cover at a site and by moon illumination, affected which foraging site individuals chose, seed species selection, and the probability of removal versus consumption. We did not find support for an interaction between personality and predation risk in predicting foraging decisions. These findings highlight the importance of scatter hoarder personality and perceived predation risk in affecting foraging decisions, with important consequences for seed dispersal and implications for altered patterns of forest regeneration in areas with different small mammal personality distributions or landscapes of fear. 

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2. Intraspecific Potency of Predation Risk Cues

   https://doi.org/10.18785/gcr.3401.21  

   Smee, Delbert Lee; Belgrad, Benjamin (January 2023, Gulf and Caribbean Research)
3. CHARACTERIZATION OF TRACES OF PREDATION AND PARASITISM ON FOSSIL ECHINOIDS

   https://doi.org/10.2110/palo.2019.088  

   FARRAR, LYNDSEY; GRAVES, ERIN; PETSIOS, ELIZABETH; PORTELL, ROGER W.; GRUN, TOBIAS B.; KOWALEWSKI, MICHAL; TYLER, CARRIE L. (May 2020, PALAIOS)

   ABSTRACT Interactions with predators and parasites can result in traces found on Recent and fossil echinoids. However, identifying specific trace makers, particularly on fossil echinoids, remains contentious. To document the range of trace morphologies present on echinoids and improve our ability to identify and quantify biotic interactions affecting echinoids, we characterized traces found on fossil echinoids using museum collections and field sampling spanning the Jurassic to Recent worldwide. Using light microscopy, 8,564 individual echinoid specimens were examined including 130 species, and 516 traces of potential biotic interactions identified. Morphological characteristics were recorded for each trace, including the shape of the trace outline, maximum diameter and cross-section profile. Based on shared morphological characteristics, it was possible to classify all traces into eight categories: circular, subcircular, elongated, irregular, rectangular, figure-eight, notched, and linear. Cross-section characteristics provided additional insights into the identity of potential trace makers. To further evaluate the proposed biotic origins of these traces, trace diversity was examined through time and compared with anticipated ecological trends associated with the diversification of echinoids, and their predators and parasites. Trace diversity increased over time, starting in the late Eocene, coincident with the proliferation of echinoid-drilling gastropods, an indication that biotic interactions intensified through evolutionary time, as predicted by several macroevolutionary hypotheses previously tested using mollusks. The morphological descriptions provided here enhance our understanding of biotic traces on fossil echinoids, and the potential to identify temporal trends in the intensity and diversity of biotic interactions that have affected echinoids throughout their evolutionary history. 

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4. Shrub encroachment, landscape restoration, and intraguild predation

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104588  

   Schooley, Robert L.; Bestelmeyer, Brandon T.; Wagnon, Casey J.; Coffman, John M. (October 2021, Journal of Arid Environments)

   null (Ed.)
5. Impacts of Selective Predation on Infection Prevalence and Host Susceptibility

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70778  

   Gutierrez, Stephanie O; Bernal, Ximena E; Searle, Catherine L (January 2025, Ecology and Evolution)

   ABSTRACT Predation can alter diverse ecological processes, including host–parasite interactions. Selective predation, whereby predators preferentially feed on certain prey types, can affect prey density and selective pressures. Studies on selective predation in infected populations have primarily focused on predators preferentially feeding on infected prey. However, there is substantial evidence that some predators preferentially consume uninfected individuals. Such different strategies of prey selectivity likely modulate host–parasite interactions, changing the fitness payoffs both for hosts and their parasites. Here we investigated the effects of different types of selective predation on infection dynamics and host evolution. We used a host–parasite system in the laboratory (Daphnia dentifera infected with the horizontally transmitted fungus,Metschnikowia bicuspidata) to artificially manipulate selective predation by removing infected, uninfected, or randomly selected prey over approximately 8–9 overlapping generations. We collected weekly data on population demographics and host infection and measured susceptibility from a subset of the remaining hosts in each population at the end of the experiment. After 6 weeks of selective predation pressure, we found no differences in host abundance or infection prevalence across predation treatments. Counterintuitively, populations with selective predation on infected individuals had a higher abundance of infected individuals than populations where either uninfected or randomly selected individuals were removed. Additionally, populations with selective predation for uninfected individuals had a higher proportion of individuals infected after a standardized exposure to the parasite than individuals from the two other predation treatments. These results suggest that selective predation can alter the abundance of infected hosts and host evolution. 

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