ESP100 - Predator Prey Adaptations

Carnivores

Eat animals

Insectivore

Eats insects

Piscivore

Eats fish

Zooplanktivore

Eats zooplankton

Herbivores

Eat plants

Fruliovore

Eats leaves

Frugivore

Eats fruit

Detritivores

Eats dead organic material

Omnivores

Eats plants and animals

Ectoparasite

Outside the host

Endoparasite

Inside the host

Parasitoid

Parasites that kill the one host that they use

Eg most wasps, many flies

Refuge in time

Be active at times of day, predators are inactive or ineffective

Example : Avoid visual predator

Risk reward tradoff for prey

Reduce activity

Forage in safer areas with less food

Accepting safer but less nutritious food

Predator adaptation for detection

Vision

Prey adaptation for detection

Less conspicous

Dont move

Examples of prey adaptations for detection

Camoflouge

Mimicry : Resembles something inedible

Plant mimicry : Smell inedible

Heat : Detection

Examples of predator adaptation for detection

Smell : Detect food using chemical cues

Sound : Bat echolocation

Electrical fields : Eel

Search Image : Recognizing abundant prey

Trade off for search imaging

Get less good at detecting other images

Prey values

Predators prefer prey with higher value

If prey easy to catch and handle, prefer larger prey (High E)

If all prey are similar size and ease of handling, prefer easier to catch (High P)

If all prey similar size and ease of cature, prefer easier to handle (Low T)

If high value prey abundant, reject low value prey

If high value prey are scarce, attack both high and low value prey

Being small disadvantages

Poor at competition

Easier for predators to catch

Become preferred prey for smaller predators

More fragile

Aposematic coloration

toxic or distasteful prey are often brightly colored

Mullerian mimicry

Color signalling their toxic

Batesia mimicry

Edible prey that look like toxic prey

Predator adaptations for capture examples

Fangs

Poison

Prey adaptations for capture

Dropping tail for reptile

Feign death

Predator adaptations for consume

Mouthparts : Canines, molars

Prey adaptatation for digestion

Quantitative defenses : reduce digestibility i.e tough leaves, tannins

Qualitative defenses : Contains toxins i.e alkaloids

Predator adaptations for digestions

Special enzymes : Detoxify toxins

Coevolutionary race between plants and herbivores

plants develop toxic defenses, herbivores develop detoxification

Intestinal microflora

Bacteria or protozoa in gut that can digest cellulose

Termite - Rely on intestinal microflora to digest wood

Cow - Multiple stomachs and rumination

Why do plants disperse seeds

Spead seeds in many places

Reduce competition

Reduce seed predation

Seed is then in a plop of fertilizer

Plant-Pollinator interaction

Pollinators get food (nectar and/or pollen)

Plant gets pollen move

*1/2 Pollinator limitation