mesopredator

English

Etymology

From meso- +‎ predator.

Noun

mesopredator (plural mesopredators)

1. (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

• mesopredatory

References

• Groom, M., Meffe, G., Carroll, C. 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. Sinauer Associates, Inc.