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
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 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.
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GPS to track blue sheep and snow leopard
Nov 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists hope to improve the survival odds of the endangered snow leopard in Nepal by venturing into the remote Himalayas to study its main prey, the Bharal or blue sheep.
Spider mite predators serve as biological control
Nov 02, 2009 |
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The control of spider mites, which damage tree leaves, reduce fruit quality and cost growers millions of dollars in the use of pesticide and oil spraying, is being biologically controlled in Pennsylvania apple ...
Wolves, moose and biodiversity: An unexpected connection
Nov 02, 2009 |
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Moose eat plants; wolves kill moose. What difference does this classic predator-prey interaction make to biodiversity?
BoarCroc, RatCroc, DogCroc, DuckCroc and PancakeCroc
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 19, 2009 |
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A suite of five ancient crocs, including one with teeth like boar tusks and another with a snout like a duck's bill, have been discovered in the Sahara by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Paul Sereno. ...
Notorious 'man-eating' lions of Tsavo likely ate about 35 people -- not 135, scientists say
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 02, 2009 |
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The legendary "man-eating lions of Tsavo" that terrorized a railroad camp in Kenya more than a century ago likely consumed about 35 people--far fewer than popular estimates of 135 victims, according to a new ...
Rocket science leads to new whale discovery
Nov 24, 2009 |
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Rocket science is opening new doors to understanding how sounds associated with Navy sonar might affect the hearing of a marine mammal - or if they hear it at all.
Extinct goat was cold-blooded
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- An extinct goat that lived on a barren Mediterranean island survived for millions of years by reducing in size and by becoming cold-blooded, which has never before been discovered in mammals.
Antarctic lake home to diverse community of viruses
Nov 11, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A study of the genetic structure of viruses in an Antarctic lake has revealed an astonishing genetic richness in the large number of viral families discovered.
Report shows dramatic decline in Siberian tigers
Nov 24, 2009 |
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The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced today a report revealing that the last remaining population of Siberian tigers has likely declined significantly due to the rising tide of poaching and habitat ...
California Academy of Sciences becomes first aquarium in US to breed dwarf cuttlefish
Nov 12, 2009 |
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Anchored to an algae-covered rock in a 120-gallon tank at the California Academy of Sciences' Steinhart Aquarium, a cluster of inky-colored cuttlefish eggs is beginning to swell—evidence of success for the ...
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