Prédation

Predation

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(Redirected from Prey)

"Predator" and "prey" redirect here. For other uses of "predator", see Predator (disambiguation). For other uses of "prey", see Prey (disambiguation).

A South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) as the predator feeding on the blesbuck as the prey

Indian Python swallowing a small Chital deer at Mudumalai National Park

Meat ants feeding on a cicada; some species can prey on individuals of far greater size, particularly when working cooperatively.

In ecology, predation is a biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey (the organism that is attacked).[1] Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation often results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption.[2] Other categories of consumption are herbivory (eating parts of plants), mycophagy (eating parts of fungi) and detritivory, the consumption of dead organic material (detritus). All these consumption categories fall under the rubric of consumer-resource systems.[3] It can often be difficult to separate various types of feeding behaviors.[1] For example, some parasitic species prey on a host organism and then lay their eggs on it for their offspring to feed on it while it continues to live in or on its decaying corpse after it has died. The key characteristic of predation however is the predator's direct impact on the prey population. On the other hand, detritivores simply eat dead organic material arising from the decay of dead individuals and have no direct impact on the "donor" organism(s).

Selective pressures imposed on one another often leads to an evolutionary arms race between prey and predator, resulting in various antipredator adaptations. Ways of classifying predation surveyed here include grouping by trophic level or diet, by specialization, and by the nature of the predator's interaction with prey.

Contents [hide]

1 Functional classification

1.1 True predation

1.2 Grazing

1.3 Parasitism

1.4 Parasitoidism

1.5 Degree of specialization

1.6 Trophic level

1.7 Predation as competition

2 Ecological role

3 Adaptations and behavior

3.1 Predator

3.2 Antipredator adaptations

3.2.1 Aggression

3.2.2 Mobbing behavior

3.2.3 Advertising unprofitability

3.2.4 Chemical defense

3.2.5 Terrain Fear Factor

4 Population dynamics

5 Evolution of predation

6 Humans and predation

6.1 As predators

6.2 As prey

6.3 In conservation

6.4 Biological pest control

7 See also

8 References

9 Further reading

10 External links

Functional classification[edit]

Classification of predators by the extent to which they feed on and interact with their prey is one way ecologists may wish to categorize the different types of predation. Instead of focusing on what they eat, this system classifies predators by the way in which they eat, and the general nature of the interaction between predator and prey species. Two factors are considered here: How close the predator and prey are (in the latter two cases the term prey may be replaced with host) and whether or not the prey are directly killed by the predator is considered, with true predation and parasitoidism involving certain death.

True predation[edit]

Predators

Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) killing a young Bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus) in the Kruger National Park.

Lion and cub eating a Cape buffalo.

A true predator can commonly be known as one that kills and eats another living thing. Whereas other types of predator all harm their prey in some way, this form kills them. Predators may hunt actively for prey, or sit and wait for prey to approach within striking distance, as in ambush predators. Some predators kill large prey and dismember or chew it prior to eating it, such as a jaguar or a human; others may eat their (usually much smaller) prey whole, as does a bottlenose dolphin swallowing a fish, or a snake, duck or stork swallowing a frog. Some animals that kill both large and small prey for their size (domestic cats and dogs are prime examples) may do either depending upon the circumstances; either would devour a large insect whole but dismember a rabbit. Some predation entails venom that subdues a prey creature before the predator ingests the prey by killing, which the box jellyfish does, or disabling it, found in the behavior of the cone shell. In some cases, the venom, as in rattlesnakes and some spiders, contributes to the digestion of the prey item even before the predator begins eating. In other cases, the prey organism may die in the mouth or digestive system of the predator. Baleen whales, for example, eat millions of microscopic plankton at once, the prey being broken down well after entering the whale. Seed predation and egg predation are other forms of true predation, as seeds and eggs represent potential organisms. Predators of this classification need not eat prey entirely. For example, some predators cannot digest bones, while others can. Some may eat only part of an organism, as in grazing (see below), but still consistently cause its direct death.

Grazing[edit]

Main article: Grazing

Grazing organisms may also kill their prey species, but this is seldom the case. While some herbivores like zooplankton

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