What question did this study set out to answer?

To compare predation intensity between live and artificial prey across an urban gradient.

December 19, 2025Ecology and EvolutionOpen Access

Testing the Sentinel Method: Live and Artificial Prey Display Contrasting Patterns of Predation Across an Urban Gradient

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To compare predation intensity between live and artificial prey across an urban gradient.
Conducted an experiment across 10 sites in Suzhou, China.
Released 2575 artificial prey and 3825 live prey in random sequences.
Measured predation as the rate of disappearance post-exposure.
Found higher predation rates with live prey than artificial prey.
Live prey predation rates increased for avian predators and decreased for insect predators with urbanization.
Showed distinct patterns of predation depending on the type of prey used.

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Experiment reveals urbanization impacts predation with live prey exhibiting higher rates than artificial counterparts, indicating variable ecology.

Zeng et al. (2025) studied this question.

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Experiment reveals urbanization impacts predation with live prey exhibiting higher rates than artificial counterparts, indicating variable ecology.