Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Biol Lett. 2013 Mar 27;9(3):20121193. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.1193. Print 2013 Jun 23.
As predator-prey interactions are inherently size-dependent, predator and prey body sizes are key to understanding their feeding relationships. To describe predator-prey size relationships (PPSRs) when predators can consume prey larger than themselves, we conducted field observations targeting three aquatic hemipteran bugs, and assessed their body masses and those of their prey for each hunting event. The data revealed that their PPSR varied with predator size and species identity, although the use of the averaged sizes masked these effects. Specifically, two predators had slightly decreased predator-prey mass ratios (PPMRs) during growth, whereas the other predator specialized on particular sizes of prey, thereby showing a clear positive size-PPMR relationship. We discussed how these patterns could be different from fish predators swallowing smaller prey whole.
由于捕食者-猎物相互作用本质上是依赖于体型的，因此捕食者和猎物的体型是理解它们之间摄食关系的关键。为了描述当捕食者可以捕食比自身更大的猎物时的捕食者-猎物体型关系（PPSR），我们针对三种水生半翅目昆虫进行了实地观察，并评估了每个狩猎事件中它们的体型和猎物的体型。数据显示，尽管使用平均体型掩盖了这些影响，但它们的 PPSR 随捕食者体型和物种身份而变化。具体而言，两种捕食者在生长过程中略微降低了捕食者-猎物质量比（PPMR），而另一种捕食者专门捕食特定大小的猎物，因此表现出明显的正体型-PPMR 关系。我们讨论了这些模式如何与鱼类捕食者整体吞食较小的猎物不同。
