Related topics: predator



Predation

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In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey, (the organism that is attacked). Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of the prey. The other main category of consumption is detritivory, the consumption of dead organic material (detritus). It can at times be difficult to separate the two feeding behaviors, for example where parasitic species prey on a host organism and then lay their eggs on it for their offspring to feed on its decaying corpse. The key characteristic of predation however is the predator's direct impact on the prey population. On the other hand, detritivores simply eat what is available and have no direct impact on the "donor" organism(s).

Selective pressures imposed on one another has led to an evolutionary arms race between prey and predator, resulting in various antipredator adaptations.

For more information about Predation, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with prey

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Headwater stream nutrient enrichment disrupts food web

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (6) | comments 0

Human activity is increasing the supply of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, to stream systems all over the world. The conventional wisdom -- bolstered by earlier research -- has held that these additional nutrients ...


Lizards change their diet to avoid predators

Lizards change their diet to avoid predators

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 02, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A scientist from the University of Salamanca and another from Yale University have shown that the presence of predators affects the behaviour of Acanthodactylus beershebensis, a lizard species from the Ne ...


Acid test: Study reveals both losers and winners of CO2-induced ocean acidification

Acid test: Study reveals both losers and winners of CO2-induced ocean acidification

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Dec 01, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (13) | comments 8

(PhysOrg.com) -- As the world’s seawater becomes more acidic due to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide, some shelled marine creatures may actually become bigger and stronger, according to a new study.


Study explores violent world of raptors

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 25, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

A journey that started with a box of bird feet carried three Montana State University graduate students into the gruesome world of raptors and led to their findings being published in a prominent journal.


Striped skunk

Skunk's Strategy Not Just Black and White

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (4) | comments 4

Predators with experience of skunks avoid them both because of their black-and-white coloration and their distinctive body shape, according to UC Davis wildlife researcher Jennifer Hunter. The study was published ...


Grey Wolf A

Wolves lose their predatory edge in mid-life, study shows

Biology / Ecology

created Oct 26, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Although most wolves in Yellowstone National Park live to be nearly six years old, their ability to kill prey peaks when they are two to three, according to a study led by Dan MacNulty and recently published ...


Migratory route of Eleonora's falcon revealed for first time

Migratory route of Eleonora's falcon revealed for first time

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Oct 16, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Satellite tracking has allowed a research team to uncover the mysteries of the migration of Eleanora's falcon for the first time. In total, the bird flies more than 9,500 kilometres across the African continent ...


Fish Sense Other Fish Via Ripples

Fish Sense Other Fish Via Ripples

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Oct 15, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Although humans experience their world through vision, touch and the other senses, many creatures gather information about their surroundings through unique sensory mechanisms that humans don’t have.


Architeuthis

Study Positively Identifies Giant Squid Presence in Gulf of Mexico

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 21, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- During a recent research cruise, a rare giant squid was captured in the Gulf of Mexico.


Danish scientists find 'Lucky Luke' of the seas

Scientists find 'Lucky Luke' of the seas

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 03, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1

Could you filter 100,000 cubic metres of syrup every day to find food in a concentration of two grains of rice per cubic metre?


Wolves are seen here in Nantes, western France

Appetite spells three wolves' doom in Switzerland

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 28, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

It is unclear if the three wolves were too greedy or simply hungry, but what is certain is that by killing more sheep than they should, they have violated Swiss law.


Scientists discover new species of crustacean on Lanzarote

Scientists discover new species of crustacean on Lanzarote

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 24, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

They gracefully swim through the complete darkness of submarine caves, constantly on the lookout for prey. Instead of eyes, predatory crustaceans of the class Remipedia rely on long antennae which search the li ...


Chicken-hearted tyrants: Predatory dinosaurs as baby killers

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Aug 06, 2009 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Two titans fighting a bloody battle -- that often turns fatal for both of them. This is how big predatory dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus are often depicted while hunting down their supposed prey: even larger herbivorous dinosaurs. ...


New orchid deception found: wearing the scent of hornet's prey

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 06, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Orchids are famous for their deceptions. Most of those with nothing of value to offer their pollinators lure them instead with the scents of more rewarding flowers or potential mates. Now, a report published online on August ...


Scientists find universal rules for food-web stability

Biology / Ecology

created Aug 06, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

The findings, published in this week's issue of Science, conclude that food-web stability is enhanced when many diverse predator-prey links connect high and intermediate trophic levels. The computations also reveal that s ...