Define predation and distinguish from parasitism.

• A. Predation involves killing and consuming prey; parasitism involves living on or inside a host, typically not immediately lethal.
• B. Predation is a non-lethal interaction; parasitism always results in host death.
• C. Predation is a mutualistic relationship; parasitism is competitive.
• D. Predation refers to plant-herbivore interactions; parasitism only in aquatic systems.

Answer: (A)

Predation centers on a direct energy transfer through a predator killing and consuming its prey. This means the interaction ends with the prey being killed and eaten, providing a rapid source of nutrients for the predator. Parasites, by contrast, live on or inside a host and take nutrients over time, often without causing immediate death to the host. The parasite’s success depends on the host remaining alive long enough to continue supplying resources, whether the parasite is on the outside (ectoparasite) or inside (endoparasite) the host. So the defining contrast is immediate death and consumption vs a long-term, typically non-lethal relationship where the parasite exploits the host’s resources. Some descriptions might imply non-lethal or mutualistic aspects or limit the idea to particular systems, but they don’t capture the essential distinction: predation involves killing and consuming prey, while parasitism involves living on or in a host and deriving nutrients over time.