Species interdependence is a natural phenomenon in ecosystem, one of such is Prey-Predator relationship among wild animals in conservation areas. However, at some points, the association becomes problematic as one of the species is greatly overburdened. I am carrying out research to establish critical factors and point at which Prey-Predator relationship becomes detrimental.
Thank
M. S. LAWAL, PhD
Normally there is a natural balance between the abundance of prey and predator in natural habitats. However, under extra ordinary conditions, such as pest outbreak, climatic changes, the abundance of one group may dominate/ decline as per the conditions. . In such a case there may be exploitation of prey by predators or vice versa.
As stated by Asokan, if the balance is disturbed, which could be due to several factors, including ecological degradation or outbreak of disease the relationship turns unhealthy.
Prey - Predator relationships in the wild are not as simple as the one predator - one prey interactions that are described in many models. I have therefore attached a paper that demostrates how predator populations tend to depend on prey populations and how prey populations tend to recover. Reading this papaer will give you a very good understanding of how these interactions are controlled and how feeding from multiple sources as well as the behaviour of prey tend to alter the dynamics of both predators and prey populations. There are also several mathematical models that can predict what happens if any of the drivers of the model is altered. It would be good for you to study the drivers of this models.
prey-predator relationship under natural condition are very complicated, as Francis has mentioned here. Most predators feed on several prey species, which on turn serve prey to several predator species. Moreover, each prey species is depended on its food sources, usually plant species, and the predator populations, on the other hand, are affected by their parasite species and higher predator ones, is there are. Therefore, a specific prey-predator species relationship may be disturbed by changes in each one of the above populations. Furthermore, invasive species and climate changes may affect dramatically all the above network, including the prey-predator relationship that is under the study.
As I already outlined the basis of prey -prrdator interaction is natural and affected by several factors
Predetor-pryey relationships are also complicaterd under anthropogenic influenced conditions. In Europe we have a lot of generalist small and mesopredators (mammals as well as birds of prey) most of the birds protected, some of the mammals also. in this highly human-influenced agricultural habitats the ground breading birds and small/medium mammals (like hares) depend mainly on the changes of habitat and its cultivation (intesification of agriculture such as faster machines and more efficient pesticides, changes in abundance of plants (more monoculture, more Zea mais , less traditional crops).
In this decline the generalist may have a high impact on the populations.
I entirely agree with my colleagues who have given feedback above. it is certainly a complicated issue and I am ware that research is on going on this issue as the factors bringing this situation differ from one environment and ecological condition to another. Once the stability is affected then it becomes unhealthy. Important to note that these factors may be internal to the prey-predator situation and or external especially most commonly orchestrated by humans.
In Hawaii, predation by the endangered 'Io (Hawaiian Hawk, Buteo solitarius) is proving to be a real obstacle to efforts to reestablish wild populations of the endangered ''Alala (Hawaiian Crow, Corvus hawaiiensis) on the island of Hawaii from young raised in captivity.
Dear Carl, your interesting info could be understood a good illustration for an unbalanced system. The present Hawaiian Hawk is a predator that is not depended on the Crow population as a pray, and therefor can annihilate the Crow population without being significantly influenced. An interesting question is how was maintained the equilibrium in the past, when both populations coexisted in Hawaii.
The Hawaiian environment has changed so drastically during the ca. 1000 years since initial human settlement that the present is not a good guide to the past. Obviously, in the past the two species did co-exist, but I can't speak to which particular changes have resulted in the present situation.
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