Prey and Predators
Predation: consuming of one organism by another
Grazing: same process; preferred term for herbivores
Prey-predator interactions can shape communities: prey-predator oscillationsmaintenance of diversity (prevention of competitive exclusion)
Reduced competition through predation: reduction of competing species/individuals; predation often dependent on prey abundance
Parasites often affect sympatric species differently ? affect interspecies competition; can act like predation in preventing competitive exclusion (parasites often infect the more competitive species)
Predator removal or predator introduction (e.g. human impact) causes ecological imbalance (uncontrolled growth of prey species or unsustainable grazing pressure on prey species)