Intraguild predation

Intraguild predation, or IGP, is the killing and sometimes eating of a potential competitor of a different species.

[1] Because the dominant intraguild predator gains the dual benefits of feeding and eliminating a potential competitor, IGP interactions can have considerable effects on the structure of ecological communities.

[1] A wide variety of predatory relationships are possible depending on the symmetry of the interaction and the importance of age structure.

[2] Intraguild predators must share at least one prey species and usually occupy the same trophic guild, and the degree of IGP depends on factors such as the size, growth, and population density of the predators, as well as the population density and behavior of their shared prey.

[12] However, in areas where wolves have been reintroduced, coyotes become an intermediate predator and experience increased mortality and a more restricted range.

For example, invertebrate predators such as insect larvae and predatory copepods and cladocerans can act as intraguild prey, with planktivorous fish the interguild predator and herbivorous zooplankton acting as the basal resource.

[8][13][17] Human influence on communities and ecosystems can affect the balance of these interactions, and the direct and indirect effects of IGP may have economic consequences.

Intraguild predation by spiny dogfish and various skate species on economically important fishes like cod and haddock have been cited as a possible reason for the slow recovery of the groundfish fishery in the western North Atlantic.

[13] Intraguild predation is an important ecological interaction, and conservation and management measures will need to take it into consideration.