![]() Predators search, assess, pursue, and then kill the prey. However, we will focus more on the carnivores as predators in the next sections. Other references though include herbivores and parasites as predators based on the definition of predation that incorporates the ecological flow of energy between organisms. However, predators are largely considered carnivores or meat-eaters. There are several types of predators depending on their size, biology, and nature of predation. Further details about this have been discussed in the Population dynamics of predator and prey. This predator-prey relationship is naturally present on earth for millions of years. The lesser food will result in a decrease in the population of predators and as result, the population of prey will start increasing. After some time there will be less prey while more predators. When a predatory animal starts consuming its prey, the population of prey will decrease while that of the predator will increase. Predator and prey have an ecological relationship that keeps the population of both in control. There are animal predators such as cats, wolves, lions, etc., and plant predators such as pitcher-plant. What is a predator? We can define predators as the species that use other species as their food. Group predation is commonly seen in ants as well. Lions are seen to kill big buffalos that are sometimes five times the weight of individuals. Examples of group predation are a group of lions, wolves, or hyenas that can kill much larger animals. A group hunting technique referred to as group predation makes predation of larger animals possible. However, there are instances as well when small animals are preying on large ones and this is not an easy task. The larger animal consumes the smaller ones as their food as mostly seen in seas (where large fishes are preying on small fishes or insects). Often, the predator is larger than its prey. The old animals, in turn, are not as vigorous as they have been during their prime and so would not be able to defend themselves fully as they have been. The young are without sufficient experience or knowledge yet are highly vulnerable to predator attacks. Using predation, the organisms get the energy to increase their life and reproduce to sustain the existence of their species.Īnimals that are an easy target include the young and the old. How does predation work? In another context, predation means the reliance of one organism on another by consuming it as its food. Source: Maria Victoria Gonzaga for .Īn ecological science definition of predation is that it is an ecological process where energy is transferred from one living being to another based on the nature and behavior of the predator. The process in which one animal kills and consumes it as its food is called predation. What is predation in biology? In biology, predation is a common feeding behavior of natural animals, plants, and microorganisms where one species feeds on another for its survival. Examples are wolves hunting a deer or a moose, an owl hunting the mice, and the lion hunting various animals. Thus, in carnivorous interaction, one animal feeds on another. A carnivore is an animal that gets its energy only by eating meat or animal tissues. The best example of predation is in carnivorous interaction. The one that is killed to be eaten is known as prey. The animal that kills another animal to feed on is called a “ predator“. What does predation mean? What is predation? We can define predation as the ecological process in which an animal (or an organism) kills and feeds on another animal (or an organism).
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