What term describes the relationship where one organism preys on another for food?

The term that describes the relationship where one organism preys on another for food is predation. In this ecological interaction, a predator hunts and consumes its prey, which is typically an animal. This relationship plays a critical role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems, as it helps control population sizes and can influence the evolution of species through natural selection.

In predation, the predator benefits by obtaining nourishment, which is essential for its survival and reproduction. Meanwhile, the prey may face evolutionary pressures that can lead to adaptations such as camouflage, speed, or other defensive behaviors to evade predators.

This concept is distinct from the other options. For instance, symbiosis encompasses various interactions between species, including mutualism and parasitism, and does not specifically refer to a predator-prey dynamic. Parasitism involves one organism benefiting at the expense of another without necessarily killing it, which is different from the direct consumption seen in predation. Commensalism is another type of relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed, which again does not involve predation. Understanding these different ecological interactions is essential for grasping how organisms influence each other's populations and behaviors in their environments.