Department of Biology, LabOr - Laboratory of Ornithology, Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, Universidade de Évora-Núcleo da Mitra, Ap. 94, Évora, 7002-554, Portugal.
Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2014 May;89(2):270-83. doi: 10.1111/brv.12054. Epub 2013 Aug 26.
Lethal interactions among large vertebrate predators have long interested researchers because of ecological and conservation issues. Research focusing on lethal interactions among vertebrate top predators has used several terms with a broad sense, and also introduced new terminology. We analysed the published literature with reference to the main underlying concepts and the use of terminology and its ecological context. The most frequently used terms in the literature were 'predation', 'intraguild predation', 'interference competition', and 'interspecific killing'. Most studies presented evidence of the killing of the victim (77%), but information regarding its consumption was not given in 48% of cases. More than half of the analysed studies (56%) had no solid information on the degree of competition between interacting species. By reviewing definitions and their underlying assumptions, we demonstrate that lethal interactions among large vertebrate predators could be designated using four terms-'predation', 'intraguild predation', 'interspecific competitive killing', and 'superpredation'-without the need to employ additional terminology that may increase confusion and misuse. For a correct framework of these lethal interactions it is critical to assess if the kill is consumed, if the victim is indeed a competitor of the killer, and if the prey is a high-order predator. However, these elements of the framework are simultaneously the most common constraints to studies of lethal interactions, since they often require a great effort to obtain. The proper use of terms and concepts is fundamental to understanding the causes behind lethal interactions and, ultimately, what is actually happening in these complex interactions.
大型脊椎动物捕食者之间的致命相互作用一直引起研究人员的兴趣，因为这涉及到生态和保护问题。研究脊椎动物顶级捕食者之间的致命相互作用时，使用了几个广义术语，并引入了新的术语。我们分析了文献，参考了主要的基本概念、术语的使用及其生态背景。文献中最常使用的术语是“捕食”、“种内捕食”、“干扰竞争”和“种间杀戮”。大多数研究都提供了有关受害者被杀的证据（77%），但在 48%的情况下，没有提供有关其消耗的信息。超过一半的分析研究（56%）没有关于相互作用物种之间竞争程度的可靠信息。通过审查定义及其基本假设，我们证明，大型脊椎动物捕食者之间的致命相互作用可以使用四个术语来指定——“捕食”、“种内捕食”、“种间竞争杀戮”和“超级捕食”——而无需使用可能增加混淆和误用的其他术语。为了正确构建这些致命相互作用的框架，至关重要的是要评估杀戮是否被消耗、受害者是否确实是杀手的竞争者，以及猎物是否是高级捕食者。然而，这些框架的元素也是研究致命相互作用的最常见限制因素，因为它们通常需要很大的努力才能获得。正确使用术语和概念是理解致命相互作用背后的原因的基础，最终也是理解这些复杂相互作用中实际发生的情况的基础。
