Related topics: fish · birds · insects · predators

Researchers study food web flexibility through time

A theoretical experiment characterized the network architecture of a species-rich ecosystem over eight months. Predator–prey interaction networks play a key role in structuring ecosystems, but ecological research has often ...

Snake charm: Four reasons to love snakes

Picture this: the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and you're enjoying a hike in nature. You haven't a care in the world until you round the corner on your favorite walking trail. And then you see it.

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Predation

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.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA