News Finding: The special feature of the method is that only limited information is needed about the characteristics of 'predators' that hunt prey animals.
Paper Finding: Predators typically exert the strongest feeding pressure on prey that are 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller 1 , while weaker interaction strengths are realized with prey that are smaller or larger than this size 11 .
News Context: The special feature of the method is that only limited information is needed about the characteristics of 'predators' that hunt prey animals. These data enable researchers to determine the structure and stability of a habitat, without the need for a comprehensive examination of the relationships to other organisms. The scientists were able to confirm the value of their method using a large dataset of 220,000 interactions from 290 food webs.
Paper Context: The varying body-mass ratios limit which trophic interactions are realized in a community , and the strength of these interactions . Predators typically exert the strongest feeding pressure on prey that are 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller 1 , while weaker interaction strengths are realized with prey that are smaller or larger than this size 11 . Moreover, they also buffer natural communities against perturbations from global warming