Hyperpredation, also known as hypopredation, is when a generalist predator increases its predation pressure as a result of the introduction of a substitute prey. Hyperpredation has been proven, for instance, in lab settings using two hosts and a parasitoid wasp. Prey that requires more handling time than they are worth in terms of nutritional value leads to hyperpredation. In severe circumstances, predators that fed on such prey went extinct. Introduced Eastern cottontails cause an

apparent competition Competition is an interaction between organisms or species in which both require a resource that is in limited supply (such as food, water, or territory). Competition lowers the fitness of both organisms involved since the presence of one of th ...

with the

European hare The European hare (''Lepus europaeus''), also known as the brown hare, is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate, open country. Hares are herbivorous and feed mainly ...

, as a result this along with the

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

being their main predator causes hyperpredation.

Examples

After the invasion of

feral pigs The feral pig is a domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorback and wild hog are Americanisms applied to feral pigs or boar-pig hybrids. Definition A feral pi ...

, the native predators such as the

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

began preying heavily on the alien species. Another prey on the islands, the

Island fox The island fox (''Urocyon littoralis'') is a small fox that is endemic to six of the eight Channel Islands of California. There are six subspecies, each unique to the island it lives on, reflecting its evolutionary history. They are generally do ...

, nearly went locally extinct due to the predation pressure from the golden eagles. These incidents happened in the

California Channel Islands The Channel Islands () are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. The four Northern Channel Islands are part of the Transverse Ranges geologic province, and ...

Causes

Theoretical research indicates that this increased predation may be sufficient to have a demographic impact on prey populations. The empirical data on hyperpredation that are now available are only applicable to situations where the introduction of a feral prey led to an overexploitation of the local prey. The most common cause of hyperpredation is apparent competition between the native and alien prey.

References

{{Reflist Ecology Ethology Predation

Examples

Causes

See also

References