Predator-Prey Relationships
•
Prey defenses: avoid conflict!
• coevolution
• as predator evolves, prey evolves to evade it
• warning coloration and mimicry
• Camouflage
• Bottom Up Dynamic (Prey Controls Predator)
– Structure depends on prey availability and nutrient content from low
trophic levels
• Top Down Dynamics (Predator Controls Prey)
– Wolf and Moose Relationship
– Structure of lower trophic levels depends on effect of consumers at high
trophic levels
The predator’s abundance curve almost always lags behind that of the prey.
The Lynx and the Snowshoe Hare