What is it called when one species feeds on another?

The term that describes one species feeding on another is predation. In ecological contexts, predation refers to the interaction where a predator organism hunts, captures, and consumes its prey. This relationship plays a vital role in maintaining ecological balance, influencing population dynamics, and promoting biodiversity by regulating the population sizes of various species within an ecosystem.

Predation is distinct from other interactions like mutualism, which involves both species benefiting, while competition refers to the struggle between species for limited resources, such as food, space, or light. Parasitism, while also involving one organism feeding on another, specifically refers to a relationship where the parasite lives on or in a host organism, often harming it in the process. Predation encompasses a broader range of feeding behaviors than these other interactions, making it a fundamental concept in understanding ecosystem dynamics and food webs.