Question

What would happen if the number of carnivores decreases in an ecosystem?

Answer 1

Hint: Carnivores are the animals that feed on other animals like herbivores. Example- Lion, tiger. They are the major unit of the ecosystem. They are also known as secondary consumers.

Complete answer:
An ecosystem is a geographical location where plants, animals and other organisms interact with each other. The components of the ecosystem include both biotic plants and animals and abiotic factors like weather, water, soil etc. In an ecosystem the biotic factors and largely dependent on the abiotic factors.

Let us discuss the biotic components-
In an ecosystem, occurs a food chain where the flow of energy takes place between the organisms in terms of food. The food chain is a series that defines which animals eat whom. In the food chain occurs the-
i) Producers- The plants produce energy from the sunlight.
ii) Consumers- It includes the primary consumers called the herbivores which feed on producers; secondary consumers called the carnivores which feed on herbivores.
iii) Decomposers- These organisms feed on dead decaying matter.

If any of the components in the ecosystem is disturbed, it would cause a serious effect on the other organisms. For example, if the number of carnivores decreases then the herbivores population will increase as they will not be eaten by the carnivores. This will lead to excessive grazing of the plants by the herbivores as a result, the no of plants will decrease and the amount of oxygen will also decrease in the atmosphere. As a result of which the entire ecosystem will be disturbed.

Note: The producers are the main component of the food chain. They convert the heat energy from the sun to chemical energy which is utilised by all the organisms. All organisms are dependent on produces either directly or indirectly.