Watch the three short videos below and then answer the questions that follow in your science notebook. You may even want to click on the Games tab for some fun with predators! In this function, P(t) represents the population at time t, P0 represents the initial population (population at time t 0 ), and the constant r > 0 is called the growth rate. The smaller fish is the prey because it is the organism being hunted by a larger animal. An example of an exponential growth function is P(t) P0ert. Predation is the consumption of one living organism by another. Number of hosts: Interact with several types of prey. Predator-prey interactions The relationship between predators and their prey within an ecosystem is often a quite complex array of offenses and defenses. Invade the cells of the host, live, use resources and cause harm. These lionesses feed on the carcass of a zebra. Predator-prey relationships such as these account for most energy transfers in food chains and food webs. Some species also have warning coloration that. All animals are either predators or prey and, in most cases, they are both. On the prey end, these include mechanical, chemical, and behavioral defenses. Also, many species in predator-prey relationships have evolved adaptationsbeneficial features arising by natural selectionrelated to their interaction. In predation, a member of one species (the predator) eats part or all of the living, or recently living, body of another organism (the prey). Mode of Action: Hunt, kill and attack the prey. However, unlike the lionesses, the zebra does not kill its prey. Predators and prey regulate each others population dynamics. Occurs between a parasite and a host organism. Stories of life and death have unfolded o. However, most animals have to take care not to become the meal.
Ideally, in order to maximize its fitness, an organism would maximize the time spent foraging for food or finding a mating partner and reproducing. In the predator-prey relationship pictured above, the shark is the predator because it is the animal that is hunting for a smaller organism to eat. Relationship: Occurs between a predator and a prey. The Savannah is a complex web of life, from the plants at the bottom of the food chain to the predators at the top. Predatorprey interactions are a major evolutionary driving force, mediating the behavior of both predator and prey. This can be used in an ecology unit, even before students learn about natural selection and mutations. This lesson uses the simulator to demonstrate scenarios related to population increase/decrease based on selectable limiting factors and environment. They are bigger than their prey and more agile.The animals pictured above have a predator-prey relationship.Ī predator-prey relationship describes the interactions between a consumer that hunts (predator) and the consumer that is hunted (prey). Population Ecology: Predator/Prey Relationships. These animals are of a sturdy constituency, coupled with a strong set of jaws and sharp dental constitution to help them tear their prey apart. This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study about Arctic fox populations and their main prey, lemmings. Comparison Table Parameters of Comparison Predator Prey Meaning The section of animals that are built to prey on other animals The section of animals that are built to be preyed upon by other animals Dental Constitution They have a sharp and sturdy dental constitution to help them tear their prey apart They have a dental constitution that is more suited to chewing grass or anything that is not difficult to be torn apart Size They aren’t always bigger than the animals they prey upon but are more powerful Sometimes these animals are bigger than their hunters but weaker Food Chain Stages They constitute the last or stage nearing the end of the chain They come before the predators Dependency They are solely or largely dependent on their prey for survival They aren’t dependent on the predators at all What is Predator?Ī predator can be defined as a section of animals that is built to prey on other animals. These animals are of a sturdy yet weaker constituency, coupled with a dental constitution that is more suited to chewing grass or anything that is not difficult to be torn apart.