Predator-Prey Relationship

Key Concepts

• Predator: The organism that hunts and eats the prey.
• Prey: The organism that is hunted and eaten by the predator.

Population Dynamics

• Graph Analysis:
  • X-axis: Time (usually in years)
  • Y-axis: Population or number of organisms

Prey Population

• Increase Conditions:
  • Plenty of food available
  • Low predator population
  • Reproduction leads to population growth
• Peak & Decline:
  • Population peaks when predator numbers increase
  • As prey decreases, predator population eventually peaks and declines due to lack of food

Predator Population

• Increase Conditions:
  • Abundance of prey (food source)
• Peak & Decline:
  • Follows the prey population trend but with a delay (lag)

Interrelationship Patterns

1. Pattern of Peaks and Troughs:
   • Both predator and prey populations experience cycles of increase and decrease.
2. Population Numbers:
   • There are always more prey than predators due to the inefficiency of energy transfer in the food chain.
3. Lag in Predator Graph:
   • The predator population graph lags behind the prey population graph.

Interdependence

• Both predator and prey populations depend on each other.
• Changes in one population lead to changes in the other.

Human Impact

• Any human impact on one population (either predator or prey) will subsequently affect the other population due to their interdependent relationship.