Predator–Prey Ecology: Individuals, Populations, a nd Communities

The relationship between predators and their prey has received longstanding interest from biologists and ecologists. Clearly, predation events draw instinctive attention, and this may partly explain why predation typically elicits greater fascination compared to other consumptive activities such as herbivory, parasitism, or cannibalism. More importantly, predator-prey interactions are of interest because they occur across a broad range of taxonomic groups, involve species with adversarial relationships and thus may not occur without complex dynamics, and are known to play a critical role in shaping most ecosystems. Predator-prey ecology includes aspects of evolutionary ecology, behavioural ecology, population biology, community dynamics, wildlife management, biological control, and conservation biology. This implies that a broad range of students and scientists should benefit from a comprehensive synthesis of predator-prey interactions.

Although predator-prey interactions have received substantive research attention in recent decades and several significant advances in our understanding have occurred, there currently lacks a comprehensive treatise summarizing the most salient aspects of such relationships. This deficiency is especially apparent with respect to predator-prey interactions among vertebrates, and is surprising given the many recent books focusing on other types of consumer-resource dynamics. This implies that there should be a niche for a comprehensive and innovative book emphasizing the behavioural and population ecology of predator-prey interactions.

Predator-Prey Ecology will review current understanding and recent developments in predator-prey ecology, with emphasis on linking theory and empirical findings, and drawing commonalities and distinctions between taxonomic groups. We will focus on; i) predator-prey coevolutionary processes and evidence of predation in the fossil record; ii) predator hunting behaviour and prey adaptive responses to predation risk, iii) theory, mathematical models, and real-world dynamics of predator-prey populations, and iv) predator-prey interactions across spatial and temporal scales and in multi-species ecosystems. Throughout, we will illustrate the evolution of thought regarding predator-prey ecology, and emphasize gaps in our knowledge as well as future research needs. The concluding chapter will assemble various concepts discussed in previous chapters into a broad synthesis, using the classic predator-prey relationship involving Canada lynx and snowshoe hares as a case study; both authors have extensive experience with this particular predator-prey system, and the final chapter will present an opportunity to demonstrate how many of the key points elucidated in previous chapters are exemplified by the lynx-hare system. The target audience will include advanced undergraduate and graduate students taking specialized courses in predator ecology, community ecology, and related disciplines, as well as scientists and other professionals needing a desktop reference on predator-prey interactions.