What would happen to the other members of the food chain of the plant population was wiped out?

Updated March 10, 2018

By Mary Dowd

All living organisms hold a place in the food chain, structured around the transfer of life-sustaining energy through an ecosystem: from sunlight to plant to rabbit to bobcat to maggot, to make a simple example. Because this energy transfer involves members of the food chain interacting with one another and their environment in a complex, interlocking ecological system, extinction of one species can have a cascading effect on others.

When a predatory species becomes threatened or extinct, this removes a check and balance in the food chain on the population of prey previously consumed by that predator. Consequently, the prey population can explode. For instance, the huge increase in white-tailed deer populations in the central and eastern U.S. in the latter half of the 20th century likely stemmed partly from reduced or altogether eliminated populations of deer predators, namely wolves and cougars. Overbrowsing as a result of such excessive deer numbers can transform the makeup of plant communities and negatively impact forest regeneration.

Endangerment or extinction of one species can threaten the viability of another species. In Britain, for instance, the red ant population plummeted as the result of fewer sheep grazing in pastures; sheep had previously kept the grass short, the red ant's habitat preference. In turn, the paucity of red ants led to the extinction of a large butterfly species that eats red-ant eggs as part of its life cycle. Food chain disruptions from the loss of a single species can be ecosystem-wide, too: When sea otters decline, populations of sea urchins, a preferred otter food, can explode. The resulting overpopulation of kelp-munching urchins, meanwhile, can reduce kelp forests, threatening numerous marine species that rely on this habitat.

Overall ecosystem instability due to reduced biodiversity ranks among the consequences of species extinctions. As the number of species in a food chain decreases, there are fewer sustainable alternatives for members of the food chain that had depended on the extinct species. Biodiversity also lends genetic variability to a population, helping it adapt to fluctuating environmental conditions. For instance, a study of tropical rain forests in West Africa conducted by ecologists at Leeds University between 1990 and 2010 suggested that biodiversity mitigates the effects of climate change and helps tree species adapt to drought conditions.

Extinction of animal or bird species in the food chain may alter the physical environment as well. For instance, accidental introduction of the predatory brown tree snake to Guam wiped out 10 of the 12 native bird species on the island causing collateral damage to the forest, according to a University of Washington study. Biologists found that extinction of the birds had adversely impacted tree pollination, seed germination and seed dispersal. Without birds to spread seeds, there may only be a few clumps of mono-species trees in Guam's future, fundamentally changing forest habitat.

Plants are eaten by grasshoppers which are eaten by mice which are eaten by snakes. What would happen to the other members of the food chain if the plant population was wiped out? … The populations of grasshoppers would decrease while the population of mice and snakes would increase.

What happens to other organisms in a food chain when an organism in the middle of the food chain is lost?

What happens to the other organisms in a food chain when an organism in the middle of the food chain is lost? The organisms below it will increase in number while the organisms above it will decrease in number. … The loss of an organism at the bottom of a food chain negatively impacts all organisms in the chain.

It will be destroyed. As we all know that it is a chain. Say that a herbivore such as a mouse that feeds on grass was too be removed. And that the mouse would be eaten by a snake..the snake population would decrease from starvation and the grass would increase.

Which role does the cane toad play in the Hawaiian island?

Which type of relationship does this describe? The cane toad or Rhinella marina was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in 1932 by sugar cane farmers. The farmers released the toads in their crops to help control pests that were damaging the sugar cane.

What is likely to happen if a new organism that feeds off mice is introduced?

What is likely to happen if a new organism that feeds off mice is introduced? … The mice population grasshopper population and plant population will all increase.

What are the possible consequences of an organism to a food chain?

What are the possible consequences of adding an organism food chain? By adding an organism you disrupt the food chain by possibly adding an invasive species destroying the environment causing overpopulation if they have no predators and causing a decrease in population to animals the organism eats.

What would happen if the food chain broke?

Answer: When one of the links (species) in a food chain is no longer present (for example a species goes extinct or a feral animal takes over) the food chain breaks. Sometimes this can cause other animals in the food chain to disappear as well and the whole ecosystem can become imbalanced or even collapse.

Which will most likely happen if the number of snakes in the ecosystem decreases?

Which will most likely happen if the number of snakes in the ecosystem decreases? The ecosystem will become overpopulated with snakes.

What would most likely happen if an ecosystem no longer received sunlight?

What would most likely happen if an ecosystem no longer received sunlight? … Coral reefs are important to many ocean ecosystems because they provide food & shelter for numerous marine organisms. Climate changes that lead to increased water temperatures can slow the growth of coral.

What would happen if the mouse population decreased?

the drop in the mouse population will lead to an increase in the beetle population. in a certain area mice eat grass and snakes eat mice. … the populations of mice and snakes will decrease.

What role does the cane toad play in the described ecosystem?

The toxic cane toad introduced to Australia in the 1930s is causing ripples through the ecosystem in ways rarely seen when invasive species spread. We know that toads poison their predators but this seems to allow other prey species to bounce back. … In places they form seething masses of up to 2000 toads per hectare.

What would most likely happen to the legume population if rhizobia suddenly became extinct?

What would most likely happen to the legume population if Rhizobia suddenly became extinct? decreases.

Which type of interaction occurs between the remora and its host organism?

parasitism. The Remora remora or suckerfish often attaches to larger organisms such as sharks and whales through the use of a specialized sucker. This interaction enables the remora to feed on the scraps of food that remain from the larger organism’s meal.

What is the possible cause for a decrease in ecosystem productivity?

The answer is decrease in biodiversity. Ecosystem productivity is the growth rate of the organisms of that ecosystem. The biodiversity is an important determinant of ecosystem productivity.

How does species diversity increase ecosystem stability?

Increasing species diversity can influence ecosystem functions — such as productivity — by increasing the likelihood that species will use complementary resources and can also increase the likelihood that a particularly productive or efficient species is present in the community.

When might an increase in biodiversity lead to a decrease in the stability of an ecosystem quizlet?

An increase in biodiversity usually leads to an increased stability but in the case of an invasive species it would lead to a decreased stability. Adding an organism to a food chain does not affect the other members of the food chain but removing an organism does.

What would happen to snakes if the grasshopper population increased?

Correct! If grasshoppers decrease grass will increase. If snakes have less grasshoppers to eat they will decrease.

What would happen if the population of snakes decreased rapidly?

What is the most likely effect this will have on other organisms? The snake population will decrease rapidly and the grass population will increase rapidly.

What would happen to the population of snake if all the mice are killed?

An ecosystem includes this food chain. pine seed -> mouse -> snake -> hawk What would happen if all the mice died from a disease? … The population of snakes would decrease.

How would removing a species from a food web affect the remaining organisms in the food web?

If one species in the food web ceases to exist one or more members in the rest of the chain could cease to exist too. A plant or animal doesn’t even have to become extinct to affect one of its predators. … The U.S. Geological Survey notes that this decline probably caused the fish to go extinct.

What would most likely happen if the algae were removed from this ecosystem? The amount of sunlight would decrease.

Why does an ecosystem need to be exposed regularly to sunlight?

The two most important climatic factors for ecosystems are sunlight and water. Sunlight is necessary for plants to grow and to provide energy to warm the earth’s atmosphere. Light intensity controls plant growth. … At the other maximum some plants and animals only survive by being submersed in water.

What is most likely to happen to a population of mice?

What is most likely to happen to a population of mice that becomes isolated on an island? Many different species will form as they evolve to fill different niches on the island.

What will happen to the other organisms in the food web if all of the snakes and owls are killed by someone?

If all the snakes and owls are killed by someone the other organisms in the food chain will be competing more for food. There are more herbivores who will be competing for the food source (grass) which would result in the herbivores either dying of starvation or leaving.

Are mice affected by climate change?

Unexpectedly researchers found deer mice are generally decreasing in mass over time but this trend may not be linked to changes in climate or human population density a proxy for urbanization. … Because body size affects thermoregulation changes in body size could influence animals’ resilience to climate change.

How do cane toads affect the food chain?

The introduction of cane toads has severely interrupted the food chains and food webs of the ecosystems they have invaded. As toxic and prolific invaders cane toads have impacted on the populations of native species groups such as quolls monitor lizards snakes fish turtles crocodiles birds and invertebrates.

How do cane toads damage the environment?

Cane toads are a threat to biodiversity because they are poisonous predatory adaptive and competitive. Cane toads are toxic at all stages of their life cycle as eggs tadpoles toadlets and adults and their ingestion can kill native predators. … They pose a risk to both native animals and pets.

What happened after the cane toads were introduced into the ecosystem?

Researchers hypothesize that when the cane toads are introduced or spread into a new area they gorge themselves on the sudden new unlimited or uncontested food supply and grow quite large.

What would most likely happen to the pine tree population of the beetle population decreased?

The pine borer beetle is a parasite to the pine tree. What would most likely happen to the pine tree population if the beetle population decreased? predation.

What is most likely to happen to the degree of competition between these two species if their food become scarce?

What is MOST LIKELY to happen to the degree of competition between the tow species if their food becomes scarce? The number of species is likely to increase. … This interaction enables the remora to feed on scraps of food that remains from a larger organism’s mean. Typically the larger organism is unaffected and unaware.

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