3.2 Read the following passage, study the graphs below and a…
3.2 Read the following passage, study the graphs below and answer the questions that follow. Definition of Predator Prey Relationship The predator prey relationship consists of the interactions between two species and their consequent effects on each other. In the predator prey relationship, one species is feeding on the other species. The prey species is the animal being fed on, and the predator is the animal being fed. The predator prey relationship develops over time as many generations of each species interact. In doing so, they affect the success and survival of each other’s species. The process of evolution selects for adaptations which increase the fitness of each population. Scientists studying population dynamics, or changes in populations over time, have noticed that predator prey relationships greatly affect the populations of each species, and that because of the predator prey relationship, these population fluctuations are linked. Predator Prey Relationship and Population Dynamics In some predator prey relationship examples, the predator really only has one prey item. In these scenarios, it is easy to see how the predator prey relationship affects the population dynamics of each species. A simple example is the predator prey relationship between the lynx and the snowshoe hare. The hare forms a large staple in the lynx diet. Without the hare, the lynx would starve. However, as the lynx eats the hare, or many hares, it can reproduce. Thus, the lynx population expands. With more lynx hunting, the hare population rapidly declines. TO VIEW THE DIAGRAM, CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW TO OPEN IT IN A NEW TAB: (Reworked: Biologydictionary.net Editors. “Predator Prey.” Biology Dictionary, Biologydictionary.net, 17 Apr. 2019,)
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