![]() In streams where predators are not present, the males become brightly colored. However, predators can easily spot these colors, and eat the brightest colored males. Male guppies with brightly colored spots are preferred by females. In tests on guppies, scientist have shown that a large, colorful spot is a sexually selected trait. While numerous examples have been observed of the evolution of traits via the predator prey relationship, some of the most interesting examples occur when the relationship is suspended. In this way, the predator prey relationship often forms an “ evolutionary arms race”, in which eat species rapidly evolves to counter the other. If one species cannot then adapt an appropriate defense, they may go extinct. Either way, this adaptation changes the entire predator prey dynamic. ![]() Predator Prey Relationship and EvolutionĪs these populations continue to reproduce over time, the actions of natural selection can also change the species to make them better predators, or more defensive prey. That, plus their predator prey relationship with the lynx, makes for very volatile shifts in population. As the hares explode, they eat more than the vegetation can support, and they are driven into starvation. Remember also that the hare also has a predator prey relationship with the organisms it feeds on, which happen to be plants. However, if you average out the peaks of the population, both populations would hold stable or show only a slight increase or decrease over time. The predator prey relationship between the hare and the lynx helps drive this pattern. Since 1845, this 10 year pattern has continued to repeat itself, with a lynx die off coming right after the hare die off. As the lynx started to migrate away, or die off, the hare population rebounded. At the start of the graph, the lynx population was very high, which the hare population was relatively low. The blue shows the population of lynx, while the red shows the population of hares. With more lynx hunting, the hare population rapidly declines. However, as the lynx eats the hare, or many hares, it can reproduce. The hare forms a large staple in the lynx diet. A simple example is the predator prey relationship between the lynx and the snowshoe hare. In these scenarios, it is easy to see how the predator prey relationship affects the population dynamics of each species. In some predator prey relationship examples, the predator really only has one prey item. ![]() Predator Prey Relationship and Population Dynamics 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. The process of evolution selects for adaptations which increase the fitness of each population. In doing so, they affect the success and survival of each other’s species. The predator prey relationship develops over time as many generations of each species interact. The prey species is the animal being fed on, and the predator is the animal being fed. ![]() In the predator prey relationship, one species is feeding on the other species. The predator prey relationship consists of the interactions between two species and their consequent effects on each other.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |