Biology 2483A Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Prey Switching, Optimal Foraging Theory, Body Armor
Document Summary
Over half the species on earth get energy by feeding on other organisms, in a variety of types of interactions. All are exploitation - a relationship in which one organism benefits by feeding on, and directly harming, another. Herbivore - eats tissues of living plants or algae. Predator - kills and eats other organisms, referred to as prey. Note: not all organisms fit neatly into these categories. Some predators, such as wolves, also eat berries. Parasite - lives in or on another organism (its host) feeding on parts of it. Parasitoids - are insects that lay an egg on or in another insect host. After hatching, larvae remain in the host, which they eat and often kill. Predators and herbivores both tend to feed on multiple individuals of prey or food plants in their lifetimes. Herbivores don"t usually kill the food organisms as predators do. Some predators forage throughout their habitat in search of food.