Predator-Prey

predator/prey

Can insects hunt for food? When you think of an animal hunting for its food, large animals such as lions may come to mind. But many tiny animals also hunt for their food. For example, this praying mantis is eating a grasshopper. To eat the grasshopper, the praying mantis first had to catch the grasshopper, which is a form of hunting.

Predation is another mechanism in which species interact with each other. Predation is when a predator organism feeds on another living organism or organisms, known as prey. The predator always lowers the prey’s fitness. It does this by keeping the prey from surviving, reproducing, or both.Predator-prey(relationship where one species, the predator, eats or consumes another species, the prey) relationships are essential to maintaining the balance of organisms in an ecosystem.

There are different types of predation, including:

  1. Predation (True Predation)
  2. Grazing
  3. Parasitism