Predator-Prey Interaction

Conservationists have been particularly interested in the restoration of carnivore populations because they have a big impact on the rest of that ecosystem. One example of how carnivore population can cause issues is the decrease of the wolf population in Yellowstone Park. They killed the wolf population thinking it would help, but little did they know they were actually destroying the rest of the ecosystem. Certain ecosystem are like a car; if you remove one piece, then the entire car won’t function correctly. A decrease in carnivore populations means an increase in herbivore populations and then those organisms will use up all the possible resources in that area. That can cause many problems. It shows that the carnivores keep everything together

An invasive species is a species that comes out of its natural environment, and enters another. These animals are usually very bad for the ecosystem and may cause an unbalance. These animals usually come in with many competitive advantages and can easily dominate any competition. This will give them the ability to eat as much as they would like without being threatened in any way. This could possibly diminish many populations and end an entire ecosystem.

Many organisms in their ecosystems benefit when their predators are around. In paragraphs 4, 5, and 6 Hannibal provides many examples of how having predators is beneficial to the ecosystem. One example is in paragraph 4 when she says;

Since the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone they have created an astounding and advantageous trophic cascade. A trophic cascade is an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators and involving reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through a food chain. These often result in dramatic changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling. In a three-level food chain, an increase (or decrease) in carnivores causes a decrease (or increase) in herbivores and an increase (or decrease) in primary producers such as plants and phytoplankton according to briticanna (how to make better). The entire ecosystem was able to become whole again because the wolves, a key species, were reintroduced. Now this may seem weird, a predator comes into the area a begins to kill animals, how can this be beneficial in any way? Well the fact of the matter is that it is extremely beneficial. The reason being the problem in Yellowstone was the overpopulation of the elk. These elk had no predators, they were free to roam and reproduce, and they did this very well. Now elk are also a

When feeding in a treacherous environment both prey and predator must develop a varied range of hunting and defense behaviors.

b) Species A is the predator and species B is the prey. When species B’s population increases, it allows for the increase in population for the predator species.

Wildlife is a big part of our environment. It’s a part of our food sources, clothing (wool), even our own entertainment (pets). Prey can be a good food sources for us too. For example deer and cattle, they give us meat. Meat is “the flesh of an animal as food” (dictionary.com). Sheep are great for food and clothing, their meat for food and their wool for clothes. “The fine soft curly or wavy hair forming the coat of a sheep” (dictionary.com). Animals are a huge portion of everyone’s lives.

Say a frog eats a caterpillar, then a snake eats the frog, then finally a owl eats the snake. This is just a simple food chain but something called biodiversity, which means that’s there is a variety of things a that one animal can eat. An owl cant only eat a snake it could eat the frog or something smaller like a worm. This keeps form one species dying out completely, which would cause multiple species to die out. When someone releases a pet into the wild they are causing a disturbance into the wild habitat. When a python is released into a place full of crocodiles these two will start competing for food which would cause all of the lower species to start lowing in numbers faster until they become extinct which would then make the snakes and the crocodile die off too. If this keeps on happening the eventually every animal would die off!

Herbivores make up the second trophic level. Predators that eat herbivores comprise the third trophic level; if larger predators are present they are then represent a higher trophic level. Organisms that feed at several trophic levels are classified at the highest of trophic levels at which they feed. Decomposers breakdown wastes and dead organisms and return nutrients back to the soil. (Future Direction International,

Therefore, limiting their territory resulting in a conflict that raises the rate of mortality of the specie which is called intraspecific aggression. Another factors affecting the density are the environmental changes on lands due to fragmentation and destruction of their natural habitats causes by humans in our ambition to expand our needs (development of new cities, roads, houses, etc.) so that way we contribute to the extinction and limited growth of the specie. In the other hand, density independent factors affecting panther’s population are diseases, viral infections, and feline leukemia, so in order to stop or reduce this mortality fatalities. Government agencies must take actions and intervene to ensure the panthers habitats without risking or damage natural reservations which protect endangered animals. Panthers in its vast territorial expansion throughout the southeast have occupied the top of the food chain, however, the decline of their species have caused other non-native predators animals have moved into the open niche. Carnivores like the Coyotes currently compete for the same prey and occupy the same hunting grounds and reproduction sites marginalizing and limiting them to thrive.

Extinction: Most species become extinct because they can’t cope with the environmental change, and also because of introduced species that turned into competitors for

The absence of wolves has allowed for smaller predators to increase in population and range, such as coyotes and raccoons. These species in turn cause greater exploitation of their specific food sources. Coyotes have now assumed the position of top predator in California, making populations of foxes dwindle as they compete for the similar food sources.

In this article, authors William Ripple and Robert Beschta focus on the issue of predation and the way it affects biodiversity and otherwise alters ecosystems. While many other studies have stressed the lethal effects of predation by carnivores, the authors of this study have chosen to focus on how nonlethal outcomes of predation affect the structure and function of ecosystems. The authors give two main objectives to their study: first to provide a short synthesis of the potential ecosystem responses to predation risk in a three-level trophic cascade involving large carnivores, hoofed animals, and vegetation; and secondly to present research that centers on wolves, elk, and woody browse species in the northern area of Yellowstone National

In the ecosystem organisms rely on each other for food and protection. The Food chain is like a pyramid you have the producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, and quaternary consumers. It’s an almost perfect balance and if any level were to just stop existing then the food chain would be destroyed. An example of organisms relying on others is an issue of isle royale were the wolves and moose population are in jeopardy. This relationship is important because without the other animal the population would die.

Predators and prey are organisms that interrelate, and they can influence on another’s success in reproduction. Predators are organisms that consume other organisms-their prey. These two organisms evolve together. They live in an environment where they must develop certain adaptations to survive. When an adaptation is developed, it gives an organism certain physical characteristics that create an advantage for survival and can come to dominate in a population. An adaptation aids survival by either decreasing a prey's chance of being eaten, or by increasing a predator's chance of obtaining food to survive and reproduce. Predators must fight for food. They face density-independent