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Solitary predator: a polar bear feeds on a bearded seal it has killed. Social predators: meat ants cooperate to feed on a cicada far larger than themselves. Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey.
The term predation rate refers to the frequency with which an organism captures and consumes its prey in an ecosystem. Coupled with the kill rate, the predation rate drives the population dynamics of predation. [1]. This statistic is related to Predator–prey dynamics and may be influenced by several factors.
Prey that require more handling time than they are worth in terms of nutritional value leads to hyperpredation. In severe circumstances, predators that fed on such prey went extinct. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Introduced Eastern cottontails cause an apparent competition with the European hare , as a result this along with the red fox being their main predator ...
A familiar example is the broken-wing display seen in nesting waders, plovers and doves such as the mourning dove. In this display, a bird walks away from its nest with one wing dragging on the ground. It seems to be an easy target, thus distracting the predator's attention away from the nest.
A good example is warning coloration in aposematic species. Predators are more likely to remember a common color pattern that they have already encountered frequently than one that is rare. This means that new mutants or migrants that have color patterns other than the common type are eliminated from the population by differential predation.
For example, yellow-eyed juncos spend more time scanning for predators when a potential predator, a Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), is present compared to when the hawk is absent. [ 5 ] Another factor that influences vigilance is the benefit that is expected from foraging in the absence of predation. [ 4 ]
For example, exploitative interactions between a predator and prey can result in the extinction of the victim (the prey, in this case), as the predator, by definition, kills the prey, and thus reduces its population. [2] Another effect of these interactions is in the coevolutionary "hot" and "cold spots" put forth by geographic mosaic theory ...
An animal generally learns its natural predators through direct experience. Thus, predator learning is very costly and increases the predation risk for each individual. In group learning scenarios, a few members can experience the danger of predation and transmit this acquired predator recognition throughout the group.