ECOLOGY
ENERGY FLOW AND THE FOOD CHAIN
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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an increase in the number of carnivore species
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a decrease in new predators migrating into the ecosystem
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a decrease in the size of decomposers
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an increase in the number of herbivores
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Detailed explanation-1: -Predators are essential to ecosystems because they regulate prey populations. Without predators, prey can become over-abundant. This can result in damage to local plants, as well as disease outbreaks that can spread to domesticated animals.
Detailed explanation-2: -Population Explosions The most obvious result of the removal of the top predators in an ecosystem is a population explosion in the prey species. Predators keep herbivore populations in check. The reverse is also true, of course–predator populations are limited by the availability of prey.
Detailed explanation-3: -This means that if the species were to disappear from the ecosystem, no other species would be able to fill its ecological niche. The ecosystem would be forced to radically change, allowing new and possibly invasive species to populate the habitat.
Detailed explanation-4: -Too many predators and not enough prey leads to predators starving and dying because they can’t find enough food. Too many prey and not enough predators leads to the spread of disease and depletion of resources for the prey species and others that live in their habitat.