This repository contains the codes and data associated with the manuscript : "Unveiling the Hidden Feast: translating molecular detection into predation rate – An example on biological control by generalist predators in agricultural fields" - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1755-0998.70033

All information needed to run the codes are given in the Main Script file (in Jupyter Notebook format 'Main Script.ipynb' or in pdf format for an implementation example 'Main Script example.pdf').

Abstract:

Few processes are as decisive as predation in shaping the structure and dynamics of ecological communities. For most predatorspecies, however, the number of prey items killed by a predator in a day (predation rate) remains impossible to assess becausedirect observations are scarce or impossible to acquire. For such species, molecular gut content analyses are routinely used totest for the presence of a prey in the predator's gut. Specifically, our model uses a novel mechanistic representation of predationand digestion to integrate field data on prey detection and laboratory data on prey molecular signal decay in the predator's gut.Model fit provides an estimate of the slope and intercept of the digestion curve (molecular signal decay) and an estimate of thepredation rate. In a case study targeting 25 carabid beetle species and 5 types of prey in agricultural fields (winter wheat), we useour model to estimate predation rates for each predator–prey pair. Based on predation rate estimates, we introduce a new biocon-trol indicator at community scale and explore its potential for advanced agroecological research. We discuss the performance ofour model on the basis of the scant information available in the literature and detail its conditions of application to highlight itsadvantages over existing predation models.