In predation, as in love and war, anything goes. All three of these situations—and the way species respond to them—determine to some degree whether an animal species survives in a particular niche. As a result, some animals develop flashy coloration to attract mates or camouflage to avoid enemies. And for the contest between predator and prey, organisms have developed an impressive armamentarium that includes spines, teeth, claws and quills.
Figure 1. Beneath the placid antarctic pack ice of McMurdo Sound lives a highly competitive marine community. The sea floor is home to sponges and tunicates; above them in the water column swim fishes and a variety of plankton—including small molluscs and crustaceans and the larvae of a number of species. It was long thought that the sessile sponges and tiny plankton had few predators, but that is not the case. Sponges are routinely preyed on by sea stars, and plankton make a tasty meal for fish. Still, with the right tactics, even the sluggish and sessile, the small and toothless can defend themselves. Many of these seemingly helpless species have evolved potent chemical defenses that give them a fighting chance against the Goliaths of the antarctic seas. Some species that have not developed chemical weapons have learned to take advantage of other creatures that have. (Drawings are not done to scale.)
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