What happpens to an ecosystem when primry consumers disappear?
the producer populatipn decreases,while the secondary consumer population increases
the producer population increases,while the secondary consumer population decreases
both the producer and secondary consumer populations increase
When primary consumers disappear from an ecosystem, the producer population is expected to increase, while the secondary consumer population is expected to decrease.
Primary consumers, such as herbivores, play a critical role in consuming producers (plants, algae) and regulating their population. When primary consumers disappear, the population of producers can increase unchecked as there is no longer a significant source of predation or herbivory to control their numbers.
With the increase in the producer population and the decrease in primary consumer population, this would lead to an imbalance in the ecosystem. As the producer population increases, there may be increased competition for resources such as sunlight, nutrients, and water. This can result in changes to the vegetation or plant communities in the ecosystem.
On the other hand, the decrease in primary consumer population can disrupt the food chain and impact the secondary consumers, such as carnivores or omnivores, which rely on the primary consumers as their food source. The decrease in secondary consumers can occur due to a lack of available prey or a decrease in their preferred food source. This can potentially impact the balance of predator-prey relationships in the ecosystem.
Overall, the disappearance of primary consumers can have cascading effects on the ecosystem, impacting the populations of producers and secondary consumers and potentially altering the structure and dynamics of the entire ecosystem.