Related topics: predator
Predation
hideIn 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
Headwater stream nutrient enrichment disrupts food web
Dec 17, 2009 |
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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 ...
Acid test: Study reveals both losers and winners of CO2-induced ocean acidification
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 01, 2009 |
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(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.
Scientists find 'Lucky Luke' of the seas
Sep 03, 2009 |
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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?
Lizards change their diet to avoid predators
Dec 02, 2009 |
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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 ...
Skunk's Strategy Not Just Black and White
Nov 10, 2009 |
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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 ...
Study Positively Identifies Giant Squid Presence in Gulf of Mexico
Sep 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- During a recent research cruise, a rare giant squid was captured in the Gulf of Mexico.
Study explores violent world of raptors
Nov 25, 2009 |
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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.
Fish Sense Other Fish Via Ripples
Oct 15, 2009 |
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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.
Wolves lose their predatory edge in mid-life, study shows
Oct 26, 2009 |
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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 ...
Scientists discover new species of crustacean on Lanzarote
Aug 24, 2009 |
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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 ...
Migratory route of Eleonora's falcon revealed for first time
Oct 16, 2009 |
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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 ...
Men better at distance vision due to hunter-gatherer past: study
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jul 30, 2009 |
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Men are better at seeing things in the distance due to their hunter-gatherer past chasing animals, while women are better focusing on things at close range, a British study said Thursday.
Mountain Lion! Stand or Run?
Apr 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new UC Davis study of 110 years of mountain-lion attacks on people suggests the conventional wisdom of standing your ground may not always be the right course.
Scientists find universal rules for food-web stability
Aug 06, 2009 |
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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 ...
Looking different 'helps animals to survive'
Jul 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In the animal kingdom, everything is not as it seems. Individuals of the same species can look very different from each other - what biologists term 'polymorphism.'
