Prey pays
price to elude predators
When the
threat of predators lurks, prey often eat less to avoid being out in the open
and vulnerable to attack.
But a new
study of tobacco hornworm caterpillars ( Manduca sexta ) and stink bugs (
Podisus maculiventris ) that feed on them finds that when threatened, these
caterpillars do feed up to 40 percent less, yet they still develop faster and
gain the same amount of weight as unthreatened caterpillars.
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