Which term best describes the act of one organism feeding on another?

• A. Competition
• B. Succession
• C. Inference
• D. Predation

Answer: (D)

Predation is the act of one organism feeding on another. This describes a predator-prey interaction where the predator captures and consumes the prey, transferring energy from the prey to the predator and often affecting the prey’s population. Predation is a primary way energy moves through ecosystems and helps regulate how many individuals of each species can survive and thrive. The other terms describe different ideas: competition is when organisms vie for the same resources, succession is the gradual change in a community’s species composition over time, and inference is drawing a conclusion from evidence rather than describing a biological interaction.