Which concept describes the Venus Fly Trap catching insects and a mouse trap catching small animals?

Which concept describes the Venus Fly Trap catching insects and a mouse trap catching small animals?

• A. Herbivory
• B. Carnivory
• C. Predation
• D. Decomposition

Answer: (C)

Predation is the act of one organism hunting and capturing another. The Venus Fly Trap traps insects to digest them for nutrients, acting like a predator in the way it captures prey. A mouse trap also embodies this idea, capturing small animals that would be prey, illustrating the predator-prey dynamic even though it’s a human-made device rather than a living predator. Carnivory would be too narrow since it describes organisms that feed on animals, and a mouse trap isn’t an organism. Herbivory describes animals eating plants, which isn’t relevant here, and decomposition is about breaking down dead matter, not catching prey. So predation best describes both examples.

Predation is the act of one organism hunting and capturing another. The Venus Fly Trap traps insects to digest them for nutrients, acting like a predator in the way it captures prey. A mouse trap also embodies this idea, capturing small animals that would be prey, illustrating the predator-prey dynamic even though it’s a human-made device rather than a living predator. Carnivory would be too narrow since it describes organisms that feed on animals, and a mouse trap isn’t an organism. Herbivory describes animals eating plants, which isn’t relevant here, and decomposition is about breaking down dead matter, not catching prey. So predation best describes both examples.