Imagine that an ecosystem contains rabbits, foxes, wolves, and deer. The following predator-prey relationships exist: Rabbits are eaten by foxes and wolves; Deer are eaten by wolves; Foxes are eaten by wolves..Select the animal whose absence would have the greatest negative effect on the ecosystem: deer, rabbit, fox, wolf
The animal whose absence would have the greatest negative effect on the ecosystem would be the wolf.
If wolves were to disappear from the ecosystem, it would lead to an increase in the population of both rabbits and deer, as there would be no predators to keep their populations in check. This would result in overgrazing by the increased number of deer, leading to a decrease in plant populations and potentially disrupting the entire ecosystem. Additionally, fox populations would also likely increase without wolves to prey on them, further impacting the ecosystem.
Therefore, the absence of wolves would have a cascading negative effect on the entire ecosystem, making them the most crucial species in maintaining balance within the predator-prey relationships.