The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
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Predation refers to the act of a predator killing its prey. All predators are heterotrophs, meaning they must consume the biomass of other organisms to fuel their own growth and reproduction. Predation may be important in regulating the size of populations of prey species, and in culling weak or diseased animals. The most common use of the term "predation" is to describe the act by which carnivorous animals catch, kill, and eat other animals. Sometimes, however, the term is also used in reference to herbivory, in which animals seek out and consume a "prey" of plant biomass, sometimes killing the plant in the process. In many cases only specific plant tissues or organs are consumed by the herbivore, and ecologists may refer to such feeding as, for example, seed predation or leaf predation.
There is a great diversity of carnivorous animals, ranging in size from tiny arthropods such as soil mites that eat other mites and springtails, to large mammalian carnivores such as leopards and polar bears. With lions, wolves, orcas, and some other large species, predatory activity often occurs as a cohesive, group effort.
Most predation is undertaken by animals. However, a few plants and fungi are also predators. For example, pitcher plants and sundews are adapted to attracting, trapping, and digesting small arthropods as sources of nutrients. This unusual habit represents predation by these so-called carnivorous plants. A few types of fungi are also predatory, trapping tiny nematodes using anatomical devices such as sticky knobs or branches, or constrictive rings that close when their prey tries to move through. Once a nematode is caught, fungal hyphae surround and penetrate their victim, and absorb its nutrients.