Predator satiation (less commonly calledpredator saturation) is ananti-predator adaptation in which prey briefly occur at highpopulation densities, reducing the probability of an individual organism being eaten.[2]Whenpredators are flooded with potential prey, they can consume only a certain amount, so by occurring at high densities prey benefit from asafety in numbers effect. This strategy has evolved in a diverse range of prey, including notably many species of plants, insects, and fish. Predator satiation can be considered a type of refuge from predators.[2]: 340
As available food increases, a predator has more chances of survival, growth, and reproduction.[3] However, as food supply begins to overwhelm the predator's ability to consume and process it, consumption levels off. This pattern is evident in thefunctional response of type II. There are also limits to population growth (numerical response), dependent on thegeneration time of the predator species.
This phenomenon is particularly conspicuous when it takes the form ofmast seeding, the production of large numbers of seeds by a population of plants. An important element of the masting strategy is synchrony in production, which is most effective when it is staggered.[4] This means that there should be years of mass production of seeds followed by years of very little seed production.
Somebamboos do amass flowering, fruiting, and die-off at long intervals (many years).
Someperiodical cicada (Magicicada) species erupt in large numbers from theirlarval stage at intervals in years that are prime numbers, 13 or 17.[5] At high-density sites, research finds that the number eaten by birds does not increase with the number of cicada individuals and the risk of predation for each individual decreases.[6]
In contrast to predator satiation, a different pattern is seen in response tomutualistic consumers, which benefit an organism by feeding from it (such asfrugivores, which disperse seeds). For example, a vine's berries may ripen at different times, ensuring frugivores are not swamped with food and so resulting in a larger proportion of its seeds being dispersed.
| Biological swarming |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Animal migration | ||
| Swarm algorithms | ||
| Collective motion | ||
| Swarm robotics | ||
| Related topics | ||