We all know that no living being can live without the other. We humans, for example, need some animals and plants to feed us. However, relationships are not just about food, some use others as shelter or as a way to get around. We call these interactions ecological relationships.
Individuals do not always interact with beings of their own species, and these interactions are called interspecific ecological relationships. When organisms of the same species are related, we have a intraspecific ecological relationship.
Predation is an ecological relationship that occurs between individuals of different species and is, therefore, interspecific. In this case, only one of those involved is benefited, so many authors classify it as a inharmonious relationship.
Predation occurs when an organism kills and feeds on beings of another species. The animal that killed is called predator, since what served as food is the prey. Predators are generally found in smaller numbers and have characteristics that favor prey capture. Among these characteristics, we can mention the sharp fangs, claws, speed and agility.
Predation is essential to control the size of a population
Prey, in turn, is always found in greater quantities in an environment and also has mechanisms that make predation difficult. Some species have hard hooves, bitter-tasting substances and even spines to prevent them from being preyed upon.
Despite being tragic, predation is very important ecologically, as it regulates the population of an area. Imagine the following situation: In the African forest, lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyenas feed on zebras and wildebeests. If all carnivores were to become extinct, the number of zebras and wildebeest would increase dramatically. With that, the pastures would no longer be enough to feed all these herbivorous animals, which would consequently die of hunger.
It is clear, therefore, that predation, despite killing another animal, is quite beneficial and even important for the survival of the preyed species. So don't just root for herbivores when watching a documentary. The two species are extremely important for the balance of that community.
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
