6.3.2 Predator prey Relationships

Question 1

What is predation

Answer 1

When an organism (predator) kills and eats another organism (prey). It is a type of interspecific competition.

Predators have evolved to become hella efficient in getting their prey, through sudden bursts of speed, or fast reaction, however prey have also evolved to elude capture hella. Such as camouflage, mimicry or defence mechanisms

Question 2

What are the predator prey relationship stages

Answer 2

Stage 1 - prey population increases, providing more food for predators, allowing more to survive and reproduce. This results in an increased predator population

Stage 2 - increased predator population means that more prey get eaten and their population decreases. Death rate of prey higher than birth

Stage 3 - reduced prey pop can no longer support pred pop, so intraspecific variation occurs and size of predator goes down

Stage 4 - reduced predator numbers means less prey killed. More survive and reproduce and cycle restarts.

Question 3

Are predator prey relationships as simple as this

Answer 3

No - rarely is it that simple. There would be hella other factors that would affect population size, e.g. water availability for the prey or predators, or the presence of other predators. Even abiotic stressesm