Chapter 7 Flashcards
Predation and grazing
True Predator
Kill their prey immediately after attacking them.
Grazer
Consume only part of their prey, usually without killing.
Parasite
Consume only part of their prey (host), usually without killing. Attack very few prey over their lifespan.
Parasitoid
Insects whose larvae consume their host from within.
Compensation in plants
Plants have evolutionary mechanisms to deal with grazing (e.g. Gentians produce more flowers and fruit after being clipped).
Sit-and-wait
A strategy where predators sit and wait for their prey in a selected location (e.g. spider).
Transmission
The alternative to foraging, used by parasites and pathogens.
Optimal foraging
Where certain foraging behaviours have been favored by natural selection because they’re more effective.
Handling time
The amount of time it takes the predator to handle their prey for consumption.
Handling > Search = Specialist
Search time
The amount of time it takes the predator to pursue/find their prey.
Handling < Search = Generalist
Metapopulation
Group of populations (of the same species) that are connected by immigration/emigration.
Disturbance
A temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a change in an ecosystem (e.g. fire, windstorms, volcanoes, etc.).
Predator-mediated coexistence
Predator-prey populations have coupled oscillations. As prey population decreases, predators also decrease.
