Predation Mechanics Flashcards
What is prey death function also known as?
Predator Growth Function
What is the equation for prey population?
Prey population = prey grwoth function - prey death function
What is predator growth?
The conversion of biomass from dead prey to new predators
Which funcional response (eating function) is the most common?
Type 2
Consumption rate increases as prey density increases before it plateus
Mortality rate decreases with density
What is the mortality rate on a functional response curve?
How many prey get eaten relative to prey density
What is predation most likely to do?
DESTABILISE
What does coexistence require?
Density dependence
When will there be coexistence?
When there is a Type 3 functional response
OR
Strong intraspecific competition (density dependence in the prey or predator) - intraspecific competition is also known as logistic growth
What is optimal foraging theory?
Are organisms choosey or do they eat at random?
Random = eat in proportion to what is available in environment
What is the equation for profitability?
Profitability = energy/time
What is high profitbaility?
Large amounts of energy for a small time
What is the equation for profit?
Profit = energy(calories)/handling time
When do predators choose the most profitable item?
When search costs are ignored
When is a new item added to the diet of an organism?
If the profitability of the new item is larger than the others already in the diet
What size mussels do crabs eat? What does the mean about their diet?
22mm despite that not being the most abundant size in a population
Means they are choosing the most profitable item NOT the most frequent
So diet is NON-RANDOM
