Many chemicals are used to kill insects and protect plants. How could the removal of insects upset the balance of the ecosystem?
A) The plants would rapidly decrease in number.
B) Animals that eat the insects would die as well.
C) The animals in the ecosystem would eat all the plants.
D) Insects from other regions would replace the killed insects.
What is your choice and why?
The correct answer is B) Animals that eat the insects would die as well.
To understand why the removal of insects could upset the balance of the ecosystem, we need to consider the concept of a food chain or food web in an ecosystem. Insects are an important part of many food chains and are a source of food for a variety of animals, including birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. These animals that depend on insects for food are called insectivores.
If the insects are eliminated due to the use of chemicals or any other means, it will disrupt the food chain. The insectivores will lose their main food source and will struggle to find alternative sources of food. As a result, these animals may experience a decline in population or even extinction.
The loss of insectivores would then have additional ripple effects throughout the ecosystem. For example, if insect-eating birds decline, the number of birds that eat seeds or fruits may increase, leading to an increase in the consumption of plants. Additionally, if insect-eating fish decline, the number of fish that eat algae may also decline, leading to an increase in algae growth.
Therefore, the removal of insects can disrupt the balance of the ecosystem by causing a decline in insectivores and setting off a chain reaction of imbalances in the population dynamics and interactions between species.