Consider this food web. It is rich with animal species that fill a variety with niches within the ecosystem. Imagine that a local farmer has sprayed the area with insecticide. Predict how this might "initially" impact the food web and the roles each organism plays within it. a Although the farmer's spray would wipe out the insects, the other herbivores, rabbits, squirrels, mice and birds, would take over the empty niches and the food web would continue with very little change. b One section of the food web would be greatly impacted: the section containing the hawk and snake. They would quickly disappear due to the pesticide use. c The entire food web would be decimated. The food web would collapse without this niche being filled due to the pesticides used. d One section of the food web would be greatly impacted right away: the section containing the insects and insect-eating animals. Without insects and possibly spiders, there would be no food for the frogs, shrews and insectivorous birds.
d One section of the food web would be greatly impacted right away: the section containing the insects and insect-eating animals. Without insects and possibly spiders, there would be no food for the frogs, shrews, and insectivorous birds.
The use of insecticide would significantly reduce or eliminate the insect population, which would have a cascading effect on the animals that rely on them as a food source. The frogs, shrews, and insectivorous birds would lose their main source of food, leading to a decline in their populations. This would disrupt the balance within the food web and potentially lead to further impacts on other organisms that depend on these insect-eating animals.