Explore the real science behind Team WILD’s mission to survey predator-prey relationships in the African savannah.
Why do Root and Flora, our Team WILD science superheroes, need help surveying predator-prey relationships in African savannah?
All living things depend on each other for survival, and the relationship that exists between predators and their prey is a prime example of just how closely linked species are. Changes in the population size of one species can drastically affect that of another. This, in turn, has the potential to affect all other species within a particular ecosystem, either positively or negatively, shifting the delicate balance of species.
The role that predators play in their environment actually helps to create and maintain greater diversity within an ecosystem, through regulating the abundance and distribution of prey species, providing vital food sources for scavengers, and removing sick, injured and weak individuals from prey populations.
If predator numbers suddenly fall, populations of prey species may no longer be kept in check, leading to a sudden, rapid increase in their numbers. On the African savannah, these prey species will more often than not be large herbivores, which could potentially destroy vast swards of the landscape’s vegetation if their numbers become too great.
Alternatively, should the number of predators roaming an ecosystem suddenly increase, this could lead to a dramatic decline in prey numbers, as more prey needs to be eaten to support the growing predator population. As prey is being removed from the environment at a faster rate than the species can reproduce to replace individuals, the population could ultimately crash.
Why do scientists study predator-prey dynamics?
Scientists study the intricate relationships between predators and their prey to help them better understand what might cause populations of different species to change over time, and how this might happen. This branch of science is known as ‘population dynamics’. Scientists also carry out tasks such as estimating the population size of predators and their prey as part of important conservation work. An accurate estimate of the population sizes of various species within an ecosystem is a vital tool for scientists in planning effective conservation and management of endangered species and habitats.
Help Team WILD survey predators and prey in the African savannah