predation

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predation An interaction between two populations of animals in which one (the predator) hunts, captures, and kills the other (the prey) for food. Predator–prey relationships form important links in many food chains. They are also important in regulating population sizes of both predator and prey, especially when the predator relies on a single prey species. The term predation is also used, more loosely, for any feeding relationship in which an organism feeds on any other living organism (animal or plant).

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