ABSTRACT
Chapter 18 lays out the many reasons why predation has relevance to every human life, from the threat of dangerous dogs that may roam a neighborhood, and sharks that are potential predators at a beach, to understanding fish dynamics at a favorite lake or fish tank. The ecological definition of predation is presented, along with several other words associated with the study of predation. Different phenomena associated with predation are covered including kleptoparasitism, nest parasitism, and hyperpredation. Theory regarding predation is presented including predator-prey cycles and why predators and prey can coexist. Included are the phenomena of an evolutionary arms race between prey and predators, and functional and numeric responses. A section is included on modeling predator dynamics with an overview of how Lotka-Volterra predictive equations have had to be modified to consider several realities including patchiness of prey resources. The phenomenon of keystone predators is described, and several examples are presented showing how keystone species and environmental factors can cascade through a food chain.
