Predator-Prey Interactions

Flashcards covering vocabulary and key concepts related to predator-prey interactions from lecture notes.

Predation

The consumption of one living organism by another.

True Predator

A predator that kills its prey more or less immediately after capture.

Capture Efficiency (c)

Represents prey mortality as a result of predation in the Lotka-Volterra model.

Per Capita Prey Consumption Rate

The number of prey consumed per predator per unit time; calculated as cNprey.

(cNprey)Npred

The total rate of predation for the prey population.

Density-Dependent Regulation

Each population (predator and prey) functions as a density-dependent regulator on the other.

Zero-growth isocline for prey population

Npred = r/c

Zero-growth isocline for predator population

Nprey = d/bc

Gause Experiments

Experiments with protists (Didinium nasutum and Paramecium caudatum) to study predator-prey interactions.

Huffaker Experiments

Experiments with two species of mites (E. sexmaculatus and T. occidentalis) to study predator-prey interactions in simple vs. complex systems.

Aggregative Response

Predator population growth increases due to increased birth rates or immigration as prey density increases.

Numerical Response

The change in predator density as a function of prey density.

Lag in Numerical Response

The delay in the predator population's response to changes in prey density.