Scent is in the nose of the besmeller. Scent signal transduction via chemical-neural pathways (remedial benefits)

I have been fascinated by the animal ability to experience world through scent and how it is impossible for humans to even begin to imagine what such world might feel like. It has also seemed curious to me how animals apparently enjoy and are highly attracted to smells that we find repulsive or that suggest …

Do wolves hunt (mainly) resting or foraging ungulates?

As I have been reading about the predator-prey patterns between wolves and the respective ungulates, I wonder if wolves often kill ungulates during the resting period of the prey. It appears that most observations and studies have focused on encounters/kills in sites where herbivores are foraging rather than resting. Of course, wolves are opportunistic predators …

Large predator impact on prey behaviour and herbivory via social pathways

As I have been reading about the interactions between apex predators (mainly wolves) and their prey, the trophic cascade theories postulate that top predators can have indirect impacts on vegetation because top predators moderate prey abundance and/or prey behaviour. Mostly these interactions are viewed from the perspective of general ungulate population, i.e., how many ungulates …

Eutrophication as an additional consideration in wolf-prey-vegetation trophic cascades

As I have been reading scientific papers regarding trophic cascades connecting wolves and their prey (for example, elk) as well as the vegetation resources used by their prey (e.g., aspen, cottonwood, willows), it becomes increasingly clear that in many systems these mechanisms are not founded on predation (removal of individuals) but on prey behaviour (behavioural …

Predators, prey and exercise

I have been considering aspects of predator-prey relationships that might result in health benefits of prey other than 'weeding out the sick, the weak and the old'. I believe that due to eutrophication, overabundance of low quality resources and as a result of a landscape that is changing too dynamically for the ungulates to adopt …

Prey, predators, health-check and micronutrients

Recently I have been considering several hypotheses regarding diet quality of large herbivores and their ability to follow their own nutritional status (before their health deteriorates to a degree any deficiency becomes apparent). I will briefly outline these hypotheses but, in my view, they lead to another connection between predators and their prey which is …

Small mammal population cycles and their effects on predator sociality

As I have been learning about population cycles in such species as voles, mice but also larger mammals, e.g., snowshoe hares, it has made me wonder about the impact that the peak phases in these cycles may have on their respective predator social structure. More specifically, I wonder if these peaks might contribute to social …

The effects of population density on red deer stag quality and behaviour

Recently I read the publication 'Individual differences, density dependence and offspring birth traits in a population of red deer' by Stopher, K.V. et al., 2008 where it was estimated that high-quality females gave birth to slightly heavier males at high population densities while moderate-quality females gave birth to considerably lighter males at high population densities …

Vibrations, plants, large herbivores and large predators

This will not be a very scientific post because it will be based on folklore as well as some 'intuitions'. Whenever I read about the trophic cascades, I imagine the change in pace that the large predators bring about. Their prey moves about in smaller herds, faster (not leaving for as long in one place). …

Could large predators reduce parasite and pathogen load in the entire ecosystem?

There are many studies dedicated to the positive effects of large predators on their prey species regarding reduction of pathogen and certain parasite prevalence and transmission rates (for publications regarding wolf services click here). However, these studies commonly quantify persistence and impact of rather deadly parasites and pathogens. Nevertheless, there are parasites and pathogens that …