News tagged with prey
Escalating arms race: Predatory sea urchins drive evolution
(Phys.org) -- Nature teems with examples of evolutionary arms races between predators and prey, with the predator species gradually evolving a new mode of attack for each defensive adaptation that arises in ...
Apr 17, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
A classic model for ecological stability revised, 40 years later
A famous mathematical formula which shook the world of ecology 40 years ago has been revisited and refined by two University of Chicago researchers in the current issue of Nature.
Feb 19, 2012 |
4.1 / 5 (8) |
4
|
Dinosaurs with killer claws yield new theory about flight
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research from Montana State University's Museum of the Rockies has revealed how dinosaurs like Velociraptor and Deinonychus used their famous killer claws, leading to a new hypothesis on ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 14, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (11) |
2
|
96 percent of vertebrates -- including humans -- descended from ancestor with sixth sense
(PhysOrg.com) -- People experience the world through five senses but sharks, paddlefishes and certain other aquatic vertebrates have a sixth sense: They can detect weak electrical fields in the water and use ...
Oct 11, 2011 |
4.4 / 5 (19) |
41
|
Jellyfish replacing fish in over-exploited areas
(PhysOrg.com) -- Over-fished commercial stocks of plankton-eating fish have been replaced in several locations by jellyfish species. This appears to be something of a paradox because fish move quickly and ...
Sep 16, 2011 |
4.7 / 5 (14) |
10
|
Predatory fish have large guts to help them through famine
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study by scientists in the US has solved the mystery of why predatory fish have a far greater digestive capacity than they actually need. The study suggests the reason is that the extra-large ...
Jul 08, 2011 |
5 / 5 (1) |
1
|
Two ground-nesting birds eavesdrop on chipmunk chatter to find safe neighborhoods
(PhysOrg.com) -- Ground-nesting birds face an uphill struggle to successfully rear their young, with many eggs and chicks falling prey to predators.
Jun 23, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
0
|
Immature skull led young Tyrannosaurs to rely on speed, agility to catch prey
While adult tyrannosaurs wielded power and size to kill large prey, youngsters used agility to hunt smaller game.
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 09, 2011 |
5 / 5 (4) |
0
|
The winners of mass extinction: With predators gone, prey thrives
In modern ecology, the removal or addition of a predator to an ecosystem can produce dramatic changes in the population of prey species. For the first time, scientists have observed the same dynamics in the ...
May 02, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
0
|
How the seahorse might have got its shape
(PhysOrg.com) -- The shape of the seahorse has long baffled marine scientists, but new research suggests the seahorse’s unique shape may have evolved to allow it to catch its food when it was further ...
Jan 27, 2011 |
5 / 5 (11) |
0
|
Predation by foxes aided by Earth's magnetic field
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists in the Czech Republic and Germany studying the hunting behavior of red foxes have discovered the foxes are more successful if they jump on their prey towards the north.
Jan 14, 2011 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
7
|
Why chameleon tongues work in the cold (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- In cold weather a chameleon’s metabolism slows down, but its tongue continues to work quickly to capture prey. A new study has found out why: the tongue does not rely on direct muscle contractions, ...
Mar 10, 2010 |
4.3 / 5 (7) |
1
|
Scientists find 'Lucky Luke' of the seas
Could you filter 100,000 cubic metres of syrup every day to find food in a concentration of two grains of rice per cubic metre?
Sep 03, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
Bats: What sounds good doesn't always taste good
Bats use a combination of cues in their hunting sequence - capture, handling and consumption - to decide which prey to attack, catch and consume and which ones they are better off leaving alone or dropping ...
May 21, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Big-mouthed babies drove the evolution of giant island snakes
Some populations of tiger snakes stranded for thousands of years on tiny islands surrounding Australia have evolved to be giants, growing to nearly twice the size of their mainland cousins. Now, new research ...
May 15, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
5
|
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey, (the organism that is attacked). Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of the prey. The other main category of consumption is detritivory, the consumption of dead organic material (detritus). It can at times be difficult to separate the two feeding behaviors, for example where parasitic species prey on a host organism and then lay their eggs on it for their offspring to feed on its decaying corpse. The key characteristic of predation however is the predator's direct impact on the prey population. On the other hand, detritivores simply eat what is available and have no direct impact on the "donor" organism(s).
Selective pressures imposed on one another has led to an evolutionary arms race between prey and predator, resulting in various antipredator adaptations.
For more information about Predation, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
