Context:

• In ecology, ‘gape limitation’ stands for the idea that a predator can only eat things that fit in its mouth. 

About Gape Limitation

• Researchers pay attention to the concept because it specifies which animals can eat which other animals. For example, small predators can only eat small prey, while bigger predators can eat bigger prey. 
• Gape limitations also influence how animals evolve over time. 
• Prey animals might get faster or grow bigger to avoid being eaten by predators with smaller mouths. 
• On the other hand, predators may evolve larger mouths to eat larger prey.

Significance

Understanding gape limitations is essential to predicting how changes in predator or prey populations, changes in habitats, and/or environmental disturbances could affect the structure and function of ecosystems.