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mesopredator. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
mesopredator, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
mesopredator in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
From meso- + predator.
Noun
mesopredator (plural mesopredators)
- (ecology) A medium-sized predator which often increases in abundance when larger predators are eliminated.
Raccoons, skunks, snakes, cats, and foxes are mesopredators.
2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 227:Large predators are equally important as keystone species; their removal can allow predators in the next size class down to proliferate. This phenomenon, known as meso-predator release, can have a huge impact on ecosystems.
Derived terms
References
- Groom, M., Meffe, G., Carroll, C. 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. Sinauer Associates, Inc.