We use an adaptive dynamics model to study how the body size of a predator and its preference for a certain prey size jointly evolve. In particular, we investigate how the corresponding evolutionary patterns and outcomes depend on environmental parameters such as food availability and on ecological parameters such as encounter rate and handling time. Results could provide insights into the factors that determine the structure of natural communities and may explain some of the predator-prey patterns observed in nature.
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
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