Blaire Van Valkenburgh

"The impact of , , and, to a lesser extent , on the structure of the of large is explored in one fossil and four Recent communities. Two aspects are emphasized: (1) the number of species within each guild and (2) the extent of locomotor convergence as inferred from morphology among the constituent species. Locomotor behavior reflects habitat choice, hunting mode, and escape strategy, all of which appear to be important avenues of adaptive divergence among coexisting predators."

"Despite the repeated tendency of s to evolve s for hypercarnivory, a canid has yet to appear that is completely catlike, that is, without any post- s. This possible constraint on morphological evolution in canids is argued to have resulted, paradoxically, in increased flexibility over evolutionary time and a great potential for rapid diversification and clade survivorship. Finally, it is suggested that the iterative pattern of specialization of the lower molars for meat-slicing that is seen in all families of carnivores, past and present, is probably a result of intraspecific competition for food, perhaps among s. This intraspecific selective force is countered by competition among species, since there are limits on the number of hypercarnivorous species within a single community."

"Eaton (1979) was one of the first biologists to promote the importance of among coexisting large s. In his review, he focused on interspecific interactions over carcasses and noted that larger carnivores tended to displace smaller ones from carcasses and that grouping behavior could reverse this relationship. He noted as well that interspecific battles over kills occurred and often resulted in injury or death to one of the participants. In a study of adaptations to coexistence among carnivores, Van Valkenburg (1985) pointed out the additional pressure of interspecific predation among carnivores, noting that both juveniles and adults are killed but not always eaten."