Ongoing Adaptations
Ongoing Adaptations
Today, animals continue to adapt to their environment and to the other living things that share their habitat. Prey animals evolve behaviors and traits that help defend them against predators, while predators evolve to get around their prey’s defenses. This back-and-forth between predator and prey is often referred to as a “biological arms race.”
In many cases, new predators introduced into a species’ habitat cause this arms race to escalate. Often, prey animals cannot keep up. Many birds that nest on islands, for example, are not well defended against land predators. No such predators lived on their islands, so they did not need to evolve defensive behaviors against them. Human visitors to these islands brought predators such as cats and rats. In some places, these predators have nearly wiped out the defenseless island animals.
Scientists who research predator-prey relationships learn not only about the history and evolution of the animals’ behaviors, but also about their future. Recent studies seem to show that when predators become extinct in an area, the prey animals often start losing their defense behaviors. For example, moose living in places where predators had been hunted to extinction did not act like moose living where predators were plentiful. Moose living in places with no wolves were alarmed when they smelled wolves, but they showed only mild interest and did not leave the area.
In places where wolves had returned, however, moose began to show defense behaviors over time. They started becoming alarmed when they heard wolves howl. in one park where bears had returned, female moose began having their calves close to roadways, where the bears would not approach them.
Prey animals have learned to use humans and their constructions as “safe harbors” in other places. Vervet monkeys in parts of Africa hang out near ranger stations, where leopards do not go. in Nepal, deer likewise find safety from tigers by staying near a tourist center.
As scientists research animal behavior, they continue to find new behaviors. They also find clues that shed light on past observations of animal behavior. These discoveries help increase understanding of predators and prey and how they interact. The knowledge gained may help scientists and others consider how human activities, such as development and fishing, affect these complex systems.
Today, animals continue to adapt to their environment and to the other living things that share their habitat. Prey animals evolve behaviors and traits that help defend them against predators, while predators evolve to get around their prey’s defenses. This back-and-forth between predator and prey is often referred to as a “biological arms race.”
In many cases, new predators introduced into a species’ habitat cause this arms race to escalate. Often, prey animals cannot keep up. Many birds that nest on islands, for example, are not well defended against land predators. No such predators lived on their islands, so they did not need to evolve defensive behaviors against them. Human visitors to these islands brought predators such as cats and rats. In some places, these predators have nearly wiped out the defenseless island animals.
Scientists who research predator-prey relationships learn not only about the history and evolution of the animals’ behaviors, but also about their future. Recent studies seem to show that when predators become extinct in an area, the prey animals often start losing their defense behaviors. For example, moose living in places where predators had been hunted to extinction did not act like moose living where predators were plentiful. Moose living in places with no wolves were alarmed when they smelled wolves, but they showed only mild interest and did not leave the area.
In places where wolves had returned, however, moose began to show defense behaviors over time. They started becoming alarmed when they heard wolves howl. in one park where bears had returned, female moose began having their calves close to roadways, where the bears would not approach them.
Prey animals have learned to use humans and their constructions as “safe harbors” in other places. Vervet monkeys in parts of Africa hang out near ranger stations, where leopards do not go. in Nepal, deer likewise find safety from tigers by staying near a tourist center.
As scientists research animal behavior, they continue to find new behaviors. They also find clues that shed light on past observations of animal behavior. These discoveries help increase understanding of predators and prey and how they interact. The knowledge gained may help scientists and others consider how human activities, such as development and fishing, affect these complex systems.
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