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- Title
Predator-prey interaction between individuals: 2. Mechanisms of selection.
- Authors
Severtsov, A.; Shubkina, A.
- Abstract
Predator-prey interactions were studied in natural experiments (windhounds pursuing wild saiga antelopes and brown hares in native landscapes). A lower pursuit success compared to that of wild predators was found. The prey of windhounds was represented by animals not only with various abnormalities in the internal organs and impaired conditions (see Communication 1), but also with an increased amount of microflora on the tested body surface fragments. Possible mechanisms of distant discrimination between the accessible and inaccessible objects of hunt that ensure the high selectivity of prey elimination are analyzed. Published and experimental data demonstrating the regulation of the amount of microflora by the physiological state of macroorganisms with different well-being levels are presented. Changes in the microflora are a consequence, but not the cause, of the reduced adaptation of the organism. The causes of such reduction are different, but their result is the development of the adrenal response, which modulates, in particular, the entire microbiota of the macroorganism. The transformation of the microbiota underlies the changes in the odour of potentially available prey, thus providing to predator the possibility of distant evaluation of the perspectives for pursuit and selection of prey by its fitness.
- Subjects
WELL-being; PREDATORY animals; ANTELOPES; BOVIDAE; SAIGA
- Publication
Biology Bulletin, 2015, Vol 42, Issue 7, p643
- ISSN
1062-3590
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1134/S1062359015070092