Adaptability gives species an edge in surviving environmental changes both big and small
But how different species adapt together isn’t always clear
For instance, how do predator and prey adjust their interactive behavior in the face of climate change?
A new predator-prey model provides some clues
Researchers looked at how tweaks to offensive and defensive strategies affected predator-prey populations under two types of disturbances --
Short-term perturbations, such as extreme weather events
And permanent perturbations, such as climate change
They found that fast adaptation can hold population dynamics steady against these disturbances
But in some cases, adaptation can worsen the effects of perturbations
This finding suggests that understanding perturbation type, target, and strength matters --
Strengthening the need for tailored approaches to ecosystem management in changing environments
Raatz et al. "Co-adaptation impacts the robustness of predator-prey dynamics against perturbations." Ecology and Evolution