Predator-Prey Pattern: New Law Of Nature Shows That Predators Don't Increase With More Prey

A new study found that an increase in the number of prey available will not result in an increase in the number of predators. This discovery provides new insight into the predator-prey pattern that would help conservationists monitor the endangered species.

Research shows that more prey will automatically not lead to an increase in the number of predators. A new law explains why the lion population is declining even if there is more food available.

Ian Hatton, the study author and a biologist at McGill University, examined the proportion of predators to prey in various parks in East and Southern Africa, and understood that in areas where their are larger numbers of prey, there will be less predators. This was the pattern that remained consistent in various different ecosystems based on a study of more than 1,000 studies looked at in the past 50 years.

Hatton and the McGill-led team discovered that in a very systematic way, in crowded settings, prey reproduced less than they did in settings where their numbers were smaller. Moreover, they found this same pattern in a whole range of different ecosystems.

"Until now, the assumption has been that when there is a lot more prey, you'd expect correspondingly more predators," Hatton said in a press release. "But as we looked at the numbers, we discovered instead, that in the lushest ecosystems, no matter where they are in the world, the ratio of predators to their prey is greatly reduced. This is because, with greater crowding, prey species have fewer offspring for every individual. In effect, the prey's rates of reproduction are limited, which limits the abundance of predators," according to hngn.

While this discovery gives an understanding of the predator-prey pattern to help conservationists probe endangered species, the reasearchers will continue the study by developing a theory to explain the pattern and create a model to predict whether an ecosystem is in trouble, according to The Washington Post.

The study was published in the Sept. 3 issue of the journal Science.