Question

Describe the role of natural selection in shaping characteristics of prey species and other predators. How does the evolution of one relate to other?

Answer 1

• Evolution describes the changes in the heritable characteristics of a population through generational time.
• Natural selection is the process by which heritable characteristics that are favorable to survivorship and reproduction are increased in the offspring generations.
• Natural selection occurs because organisms must compete for limited resources, such as food, water, and shelter from predators, within their environments. The individuals that are better competitors are more likely to survive and reproduce; and are able to pass on or increase the prevalence "competitive" characteristics in the next generation.
• Predation in animal communities is the consumption of tissues that belong to another organism.The insect communities are principally structured by predation forces exerted by natural enemies on prey populations. The predator-prey interaction is among the most powerful force that is capable of driving natural selection.
• Species are not static but, change over generations and can adapt to their environment through natural selection.Predator and prey species both have adaptations,beneficial features arising by natural selection, that help them perform better in their role. For instance, prey species have defense adaptations that help them escape predation. These defenses may be mechanical, chemical, physical, or behavioral.
• Natural selection is constantly influencing the evolution of species.
• When a predator is very fast enough to catch another fast prey, which one got faster remains mystery.But infact , these two species drive each other faster.
• And the faster predators experience advantage over the other slower predators of the same species.In that the faster one catches more prey.Eventually the small predators will die off and the faster one will explore in population catching the prey. And the prey population are fatser enough to avoid the Predators. And thus this prey species also selected for faster animals group.
• Scientists theorize that this give-and-take between the predator and prey populations is responsible for shaping many of their defining traits.

Theory suggests that predators should have strong ecological effects on the community of organisms on which they prey.Predators can reduce prey population size and decrease prey growth rates or alter prey age distributions and life histories. Predators may also have non‐lethal effects on prey behavior, habitat use, and competitive interactions as well as other physiological and morphological traits.

The effects of predators on their prey community depend on the predator's traits, particularly those that relate to  prey detection, capture rates, and the efficiency with which predators convert prey biomass into offspring.Predator traits may evolve in response to many selective agents simultaneously. Evolution of predator traits in response to changes in the abiotic environment could alter the interaction between predator and prey, which could ultimately affect the abundance or diversity of the prey community.