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Ecology > Predation > Flashcards

Predation Flashcards

1
Q

Resources

Autotrophic organisms

A

Plants, algae, some bacteria

Photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

Radiation
CO2
Water
Mineral nutrients

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2
Q

Resources
Heterotrophic organisms
6 points

A
  1. Animals, fungi, bacteria
  2. Predators, parasites:
    Consume living organisms
  3. Decomposers
    Consume dead organisms or waste products
  4. Microorganisms are usually the first detritivores to colonise plant detritus Animal detritivores follow later
  5. Organic material (plant, animal, bacteria)
  6. Food for heterotrophs is very variable:
    Plant material has a high carbon content: C:N ratio 40:1

Bacteria, fungi and animals have a lower carbon content: C:N ratio 10:1

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3
Q

Autrotrophs and inorganic resources

A
  1. Plants and other autotrophs assimilate inorganic resources into organic molecules
  2. These become the resources for heterotrophs
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4
Q

Animals as food

A
  1. Herbivores and carnivores have very similar body composition
  2. Animal tissues:
    contain no structural carbohydrate or fibre

are rich in lipid and protein

  1. The main excretory products of carnivores are nitrogenous
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5
Q

Plants as food

5 points

A
  1. Herbivores and detritivores that consume plant material have food rich in carbon
    poor in protein
  2. The waste products are carbon-rich compounds
    carbon dioxide
    fibre
  3. Most herbivores are limited by lack of nitrogen
  4. Only a few plant consumers have cellulases
    Many fungi, some bacteria and a few protozoa
  5. Some bacteria and protozoa are found in symbiotic association with herbivores e.g. ruminants
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6
Q

Definition of predation

A
  1. Predation is the consumption of one organism
    (the prey) by another organism (the predator), in which the prey is alive when the predator first attacks it
  2. A predator uses other live organisms as an energy source, removing the prey individuals from the population
  3. Excludes scavenging and detritivory
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7
Q

Classification of predation

A
  1. Food type (Taxonomic classification)
    Carnivore, herbivore, fungivore, bacterivore, omnivore
  2. Trophic level
    Primary, secondary, tertiary consumer
  3. Food size
    Microphage, Macrophage
  4. Prey capture strategy
    Pursuit, stalking, ambush, sessile opportunist
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8
Q

Predation

Functional classification

A
  1. True predator
  2. Grazer
  3. Parasite
  4. Parasitoid
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9
Q

True predators

4 points

A
  1. Kill prey almost immediately
  2. Usually eat the whole organism
  3. Eat several or many prey during lifetime
  4. Usually applied to carnivores
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10
Q

Grazers

4 points

A
  1. Usually do not kill prey
  2. Consume part of the prey organism
  3. Often attack large numbers of prey
  4. More herbivore grazers
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11
Q

Parasites

7 points

A
  1. Usually do not kill prey
  2. Consume part of the prey organism (host)
  3. Attack one or small number of prey
  4. Much smaller than prey
  5. Host is habitat and food
  6. Endo- or Ecto-
  7. Carnivores and herbivores
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12
Q

Parasitoids

A
  1. Part of life cycle (subadult) is parasitic
  2. Usually kill prey eventually
  3. Consume all of the host organism
  4. Attack one prey
  5. Smaller than prey
  6. Host is habitat and food
  7. Endo- or Ecto-
  8. Carnivores
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13
Q

Effects on the prey individual
True predators –
Parasitoids –
Grazers and Parasites -

A

True predators – prey killed

Parasitoids – prey killed

Grazers and Parasites
– herbivory example

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14
Q

Effects of herbivory Depends on

2 points

A 
1.  Depends on location of attack
 Leaves
 Sap
 Meristem
 Flower
 Fruit
 Root
  1. Depends on timing of attack
    Germination
    Setting seed
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15
Q

Effects of herbivory

4 examples of Plant compensation

A
  1. Removal of leaves may decrease self shading
  2. Removal of shaded leaves may improve photosynthesis / respiration balance
  3. Herbivory on shoot
    more photosynthate to shoot
  4. Herbivory on root
    more photosynthate to root
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16
Q

Effects of herbivory
what is plant compensation
3 points

A
  1. Compensation counteracts harmful effects
  2. Perfect compensation is rare
  3. Plants are usually harmed by herbivores
17
Q

Effects of herbivory
Defensive responses of plants
2 points

A
  1. Following herbivore attack plants increase their production of defensive chemicals or structures
2. Larch, defoliated by larch budmoth Zeiraphera diniana, have:
delayed leaf production
tougher leaves
higher fibre and resin content
lower nitrogen content
18
Q

Effects of herbivory
Disproportionate effects
2 points

A
  1. Ring-barking
    Goats, squirrels, rabbits, voles, sheep, slugs
  2. Vectors of plant pathogens
    Bark beetles and Dutch elm disease
    Aphids and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus
19
Q

Effects of herbivory
Effects on the prey individual
3 points

A
  1. Herbivores increase mortality
  2. Herbivores reduce growth
  3. Herbivores reduce reproduction (fecundity)
20
Q

Effects on the prey population

Individuals are not attacked at random:

2 points

A
  1. Individuals that are preyed upon are those that are least likely to:
    Survive
    Reproduce
  2. e.g. Populations of Thompson’s gazelles predated by cheetahs and wild dogs

Victims
Mostly younger age classes
Make no contribution to reproduction yet

21
Q

Effects on the prey population

Prey refuges

A
  1. If a predator does not drive prey to extinction there must be a prey refuge.
  2. This could include:
    Intra / interspecific competition between predators

Predator behaviour (e.g. aggregation in patches)

Inaccessible (micro) habitat

Hiding place

Escape response

Defence response

22
Q

Effects on the prey population

Populations may compensate for losses - woodpigeons

A
  1. Predation reduces intraspecific competition
  2. Shooting woodpigeons does not increase overall winter mortality
  3. Populations are limited by food
  4. Shooting reduces competition & natural mortality
  5. Density dependent immigration occurs
  6. Population size determined by density dependent intraspecific competition for food
23
Q

Effects on the prey population

Populations may compensate for losses - grasses

2 points

A
  1. Grasses, such as cereals can sustain considerable losses of individuals and compensate by tillering
  2. Crops ‘sown to a stand’ e.g. sugar beet cannot sustain loss of individuals without reduction of yield
24
Q

Effects on predators
Consumption rate
2 points

A
  1. Increase in food available / consumed leads to an increase in:
    Survival
    Growth
    Reproduction
  2. Reduces the effects of competition
  3. Consumption must exceed lower threshold
  4. Consumers become satiated (plateau)
25
Q

Effects on predators
Diet width Specialists
5 points

A
  1. may attack parts of prey
  2. may attack several species or one species
  3. Avoid interspecific competition
  4. At risk if food becomes scarce
  5. Parasites and parasitoids are often highly specialised
26
Q

Effects on predators
Diet width generalists
4 points

A
  1. feed on range of food
  2. May be exposed to interspecific competition
  3. Can vary diet to suit food availability
  4. True predators and grazers
    usually have relatively broad diets
27
Q

consumer’s functional response

A

The relationship between an individual’s consumption rate and food availability

28
Q

Functional response type 1

A
  1. Consumption rate rises linearly with prey density
  2. Capture rate determined by prey density
  3. At high prey densities consumption rate remains constant
  4. Handling time is limiting
29
Q

Functional response type 2

5 points

A
  1. Consumption rate rises with prey density
  2. Finding prey becomes easier
  3. At high prey densities consumption rate remains constant
  4. Handling time is limiting
  5. Most frequently observed type
30
Q

Functional response type 1

2 points

A
  1. At low densities Type 3 response has an acceleration phase – curve is sigmoidal

Caused by changing efficiency e.g. switching

  1. At high prey densities Type 3 is like Type 2

Causes are the same

31
Q

Distribution of predators and prey

3 points

A
  1. For consumers the world is heterogeneous
  2. Consumers select patches containing their food
  3. Consumers select patches with most or highest
    quality food

[ predator mite and herbivorous mite. predator introduced both die. solution make habitat more patchy to stop predator eating all herbivores]

Ecology (8 decks)

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