predator-prey
Eater and eaten
Predator-prey describes the relationship between an animal that hunts and the animal it hunts.
The term appears most often in ecology and biology: predator-prey dynamics, predator-prey interactions.
The relationship is fundamental to ecosystems—predators control prey populations, while prey availability shapes predator numbers.
The concept extends to any pursuit-and-capture dynamic: the predator-prey relationship between salespeople and customers.
Rapid following of quarry
- stalkingStealthy, persistent pursuit
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
- camouflageConcealment through visual blending
- evasionAct of escaping detection
flight response · herding · vigilance · alarm call · mimicry · pursuit · escape · detection
Ecological feeding hierarchy
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- carnivoreCreature eating only animals
- herbivorePlant-only consumer
- keystone speciesOutsized ecological impact organism
biomass · energy transfer · carrying capacity · wildlife · savanna · migration · grazing · hunting
Reciprocal adaptation between interacting species
- arms raceEscalating weapons accumulation between nations
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
- fitnessGood physical shape
selective pressure · survival of the fittest · Darwin · speciation · trait · mutation · venom · defensive mechanisms
Repeated back-and-forth movement
- modelingSimulating or demonstrating form
- equilibriumState of balance
- simulationImitation of real processes
- differential equationsEquations containing derivatives
carrying capacity · growth rate · stability · bifurcation · dynamics · parameters · variables · graphing
chase
Rapid following of quarry
- stalkingStealthy, persistent pursuit
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
- camouflageConcealment through visual blending
evasion · flight response · herding · vigilance · alarm call · mimicry · pursuit · escape · detection · stealth
food chain
Ecological feeding hierarchy
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- carnivoreCreature eating only animals
- herbivorePlant-only consumer
keystone species · biomass · energy transfer · carrying capacity · wildlife · savanna · migration · grazing · hunting · scavenger
coevolution
Reciprocal adaptation between interacting species
- arms raceEscalating weapons accumulation between nations
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
fitness · selective pressure · survival of the fittest · Darwin · speciation · trait · mutation · venom · defensive mechanisms · mimicry
oscillation
Repeated back-and-forth movement
- modelingSimulating or demonstrating form
- equilibriumState of balance
- simulationImitation of real processes
differential equations · carrying capacity · growth rate · stability · bifurcation · dynamics · parameters · variables · graphing · coexistence
- oppositesopposite, opposites, antonym, antonyms, inverse
- ecologyhabitat, ecosystem, balance, niche, food webs
- ecosystem componentsnative plants, native species, endemic species, food web, food chain
- food websfood web, food chain, food chains, producer, consumer
- wildlife sciencezoology, ecology, wildlife biology, wildlife ecology, conservation
- coevolutioncoevolution, arms race, Red Queen hypothesis, cospeciation, mutualism
predator-preymutualism
Two-way biological benefit
symbiosis · commensalism · cooperation · parasitism · pollination
predator-preymutual benefit
Gain for all involved
partnership · collaboration · reciprocity · mutual aid · cooperation
predator, prey, predators, predatory, predation, predate, predated, predating, preys