In such a model, each prey needs to balance among three duties: predator avoidance, energy intake and competition (both intra-specific and inter-specific, exploitative and/or interference). Predator can be somewhat selective or opportunistic. Each part is able to respond to status or strategies of other two parts in the game.
I think you necessarily have to perform reference tests: first you see how the preys are able to avoid whatever predator on their own, when the other prey is not present in the arena, then, you see how it evolves when they are altogether in the same arena. I imagine things are known about how the two preys interact with each other in the absence of predator? If not, it is useful to assess that. Also, be careful about the group features of your prey species: they might display different behaviors when alone or in group. Thanks to the reference tests, you will see how the different variables you want to measure will evolve. I would be happy to discuss more deeply with you if needed. Hope it was useful..
Thank you, Fanny. I am not quite sure about reference tests you said, but it seems to be like a full factorial design with 8 treatments (prey A alone with or without predator, prey B alone with or without predator, prey A + prey B with or without predator, )?
Yeah something like that! I also invite you to look at that paper, in which you will find interesting ways to analyse data in a spacial way. It is a super good statistical model that can be applied to many things! It concerns the preference of wireworms for different plant species. You could do the same with your questions. Actually, there is a world of things to do :D. With such a design, I think you could find a way to explore how the balance between the duties is distributed. To find the perfect design, I also recommend that you look for experimental designs in entomological fields that are not necessarily linked to your subject, but rather more in insect behavior in general. The perfect design for you will be a compromise between what you know about your insect and what already exists in the literature.
HEMERIK, L., GORT, G. & BRUSSAARD, L. 2003. Food preference of wireworms analyzed with multinomial Logit models. Journal of Insect Behavior, 16, 647-665.
You could use that design to see how the preys spread when the other species is present or not, and when the predator is present or not...
Thanks for your suggestion, Fanny. I have downloaded the paper and it is really interesting.
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