Researchers hunt each other in the Quebec woods – for science, of course

Strolling slowly through the forests of Quebec, struggling for scarce resources while trying to avoid nearby predators, his heart beating fast – it’s all in a day’s work for Université Laval ecologist David Bolduc.

To better understand the complex relationships between nature’s predators and prey, Bolduc, his colleagues, and a few dozen students from around the world gathered at Eco-Laurentides Park near Val-Morin, Que., one summer for a game of predator-prey.

“The rules are very simple,” Bolduc said. as it happens Host Nil Koksal. “You will either die or live.”

Bolduc is not being literal. The researchers played a game of tag, running a 30-minute simulation to see if humans would replicate the predator-prey dynamics that occur among wildlife.

According to their findings, Published in the open-source journal Methods in Ecology and EvolutionPeople are not so different from animals, often adopting the same survival strategies as wolves or deer.

Scientists have lauded this experiment as a fun and innovative way to learn about ecosystems, but cautioned that it comes with limitations — namely, we can’t use a human game to draw conclusions about wild animals, where life and death are literally at stake.

eat, reproduce, survive

The experiment took place in July 2023. Participants were divided into three groups: prey, who are always hunted but never hunted; Mesopredators, medium-sized animals that hunt smaller prey; and apex predators, which are at the top of the food chain.

The hunter’s task was to find resources, which were scattered in an envelope around the designed play area, “regenerate” by connecting with their team members, and avoid being caught by the hunters.

Of course, the hunter’s job was to catch the prey.

“If you have enough food and you don’t get eaten, you survive, that’s considered a victory,” Bolduc said.

Researchers present it as a new method of studying predator-prey interactions, more based in reality than highly controlled mathematical models, but far simpler than field work, in which it is difficult to observe prey in real time, and even more difficult to control all the variables at play.

By using the same control group of players while adjusting variables such as landscape or resource allocation, scientists can test theories about how predator-prey dynamics might work in different scenarios.

Still, the researchers note, any conclusions would have to be followed by observing actual animals in their natural habitat.

“Let’s say you’re interested in some hypothesis that you’d like to test in the wild. It might be good to test it with this game first because you can probably see a lot of interesting things… that you haven’t thought about before,” Bolduc said.

“You can also easily develop the analytical tools you’ll need after trying it out in the wild.”

Scientists who were not involved in the research were affected.

“I’m almost jealous that I wasn’t part of it because it sounds like so much fun,” said Matthew Lablond, an ecologist at the Center for Environment and Climate Change Canada who has studied predator-prey relationships.

“This is a great idea and an innovative way to study these behaviors.”

Biologist Jean-Philippe Gibert of Duke University in North Carolina agreed.

“Reading the paper brought a smile to my face too,” he said in an email. “What can I say? It’s fun! Would I consider this the first tool in my toolbox for understanding predator-prey interactions? No. Does it have any value? Yes, in the proper context.”

You and I, baby, are nothing but mammals

The study found that the behavior of humans in the game was similar to that of wild animals. For example, hunters chose to use well-worn paths and roads to search for prey in the area, while prey preferred to remain in the shade.

But both Leblond and Gibert caution that humans differ from wild animals in important ways. Every player brings their own biases to the game. Some may be more competitive. Others may want to test the limits of the game. Players’ relationships with each other can influence their choices.

“Other than that there’s no risk of dying, which is a big thing,” Lablond said. “The hunter, of course, he would like to win, but if he does not catch the prey during the game, he will still be able to go home and eat, you know. A hunter who does not catch the prey will die.”

Researchers say the game’s biggest benefit is as a learning tool.

“It sparked really interesting discussions among players about ecological theory and animal behavior,” Bolduc said.

“It’s a very new, interesting and fun way to think about and learn about ecological theory.”