Final answer:
The mechanism of population control involving predation is the predator-prey relationship, where the consumption of prey by predators maintains population balances and leads to evolutionary adaptations in both predator and prey species.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mechanism of population control in which a population is regulated by predation is the predator-prey relationship. In this dynamic, the predator consumes members of another species, the prey, which in turn keeps the populations of both species in balance. A classic example of this can be seen in how the population of lynx and snowshoe hares cycle in relation to each other. As the hare population, which serves as food for the lynx, increases, the lynx population also rises due to the abundance of food. Consequently, if the lynx population becomes too high, they may over-hunt the hares, leading to a fall in hare numbers, which subsequently causes a reduction in the lynx population because of food scarcity.
Predator-prey dynamics are indeed a significant form of interspecific competition, where one species acts as a limiting factor on the other, maintaining environmental balance. Adaptations like camouflage play a crucial role in this interaction, whereby prey species evolve ways to hide from predators, and predators may evolve more effective methods to locate and capture prey. These evolutionary pressures can lead to the co-evolution of predator and prey populations.