Ans. Predatlon
It is an interaction between two animals of different species or between a plant and an animal. In predation, one organism (the predator) attacks, kills and feeds on other organism (the prey).
Examples: Some examples of predation are given below:
• All carnivore animals are predators.
For example, frog preys upon mosquito and fox preys upon rabbit. There are some examples where a predator is preyed upon by a second predator and then the second one is preyed upon by a third predator. For example, frog (predator 1) is preyed upon by a snake (predator 2) and the snake is preyed upon by an eagle (predator 3). , '
• Certain plants (Pitcher plant, sundew, Venus fly trap etc., are carnivorous and live as predators. Such plants live in the areas where minerals and other nutrients are lacking. They feed on insects to fulfil their nitrogen requirements. These plants have mechanism to attract insects. For example, they secrete sweet nectar that attracts the insects searching for food. Their leaves are also modified to capture the prey.
Predation keeps the prey population under check, so as to maintain an ecological balance. Humans benefit from this interaction in the biological control of weeds and pests. In order to control pests in an area, their predators are released there.