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Predation, Competition, and Prey Communities: A Review of Field Experiments

Predation, Competition, and Prey Communities: A Review of Field Experiments A central controversy in ecology addresses the relative importance of competi­ tion and predation in determining the characteristics of organisms (e.g. be­ havior, life history), populations (e.g. population size, stability), and com­ munities (e.g. species diversity, total and relative abundance patterns). Through the early 1970s the "competition school" appeared to dominate (e.g. 19, 20, 107, 109, 166). However, in recent years a discernible shift has occurred towards the notion that predation often has the greater impact,some­ times by reducing the importance of competition (e.g. 16,22,133,134,206). A related controversy concerns the techniques used to evaluate the im­ portance of a given factor. Before the 1970s, field ecologists relied primarily on observation. More recently, experiments have become part of the standard protocol in field studies. Each approach has benefits and drawbacks. Controlled experiments produce stronger inferences than do observations alone; however, experiments are often impractical,particularly where the questions are broad in scope (e.g. on a geographic or an evolutionary scale). Observational techniques can address broad questions but are more open to alternative interpretations. *Current address: Department of Zoology , Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 0066-4162/85/1120-0269$02.00 SIH ET AL The recent burst of experimental work allows the use of a http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Annual Reviews

Predation, Competition, and Prey Communities: A Review of Field Experiments

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References (87)

Publisher
Annual Reviews
Copyright
Copyright 1985 Annual Reviews. All rights reserved
Subject
Review Articles
ISSN
0066-4162
DOI
10.1146/annurev.es.16.110185.001413
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

A central controversy in ecology addresses the relative importance of competi­ tion and predation in determining the characteristics of organisms (e.g. be­ havior, life history), populations (e.g. population size, stability), and com­ munities (e.g. species diversity, total and relative abundance patterns). Through the early 1970s the "competition school" appeared to dominate (e.g. 19, 20, 107, 109, 166). However, in recent years a discernible shift has occurred towards the notion that predation often has the greater impact,some­ times by reducing the importance of competition (e.g. 16,22,133,134,206). A related controversy concerns the techniques used to evaluate the im­ portance of a given factor. Before the 1970s, field ecologists relied primarily on observation. More recently, experiments have become part of the standard protocol in field studies. Each approach has benefits and drawbacks. Controlled experiments produce stronger inferences than do observations alone; however, experiments are often impractical,particularly where the questions are broad in scope (e.g. on a geographic or an evolutionary scale). Observational techniques can address broad questions but are more open to alternative interpretations. *Current address: Department of Zoology , Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 0066-4162/85/1120-0269$02.00 SIH ET AL The recent burst of experimental work allows the use of a

Journal

Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics – Annual Reviews

Published: Nov 1, 1985

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