![]() If you are interested in helping these apex predators, please check out our products to support these causes.The food chain is a weird, wonderful and extremely complex thing. We work with non-profits like the Orca Research Trust and Polar Bears International to help them raise money. With many of the world’s top 10 apex predators being under threat, this should be a concern for everyone.Īt Wildlife Collections, we recognize the importance of apex predators. It is all an important balance that can have catastrophic effects when it is thrown off. In the oceans, apex predators leave meals for scavengers at the bottom of the food chain to support the ecosystem. Unchecked herds can also overuse resources like water. When prey animals overgraze, it can lead to erosion. When they disappear or their numbers get too low, it can have a ripple effect that will be harmful to all of the plants and animals in the ecosystem.īeyond just affecting the animals and plants, it can have an impact on the land itself. When you put it all together, apex predators often play an important role in maintaining the balance of an ecosystem. If the prey species population is left to grow with no pressure from predators, they could destroy the food source for smaller animals. Additionally, these smaller animals often rely on the same food sources as prey species. When mesopredators are allowed to hunt freely and with no competition from apex predators, they can often put pressure on smaller animals. Depending on the context, this is achieved both through the regulating of mesopredators and the control of prey species populations. While it may not be their intention to protect the smaller animals in the ecosystem, the activities of apex predators often serve that function. Protecting The Smaller Animals in the Ecosystem ![]() With nothing to control the population or force them to move on, they could overgraze and destroy their food supply. ![]() Imagine grasslands overpopulated with wildebeests. ![]() Over time, this makes for a stronger and healthier population in the prey species.īeyond that, prey species can be their own worst enemies when populations are allowed to grow unchecked. Predators work to remove the weak and the ill from prey populations. This might seem logical on the surface, but it is more complicated than that. Many people might think it would be great for prey species if the predators disappeared. This can then have a cascading effect on the ecosystem that will lead to dramatic changes that can affect all species. As an example, it could lead to them overhunting a prey species that would have supported them when their population and activities were kept under control by the presence of the apex predator. When this occurs, the exploding population of smaller predators can be destructive to the ecosystem. If an apex predator is wiped out or greatly diminished, it can lead to a phenomenon known as mesopredator release. The presence of apex predators helps to keep the populations and activities of smaller predators in check. As an example, you might have wolves as the apex predator, but then you could also have cats or foxes as the mesopredators. In many cases, you may have apex predators, but you will also have a range of smaller predators. The food web in any ecosystem is complex. In this post, we are going to look at some of the reasons we need apex predators. Why are apex predators important? In short, they help to maintain the balance in the ecosystem. In fact, many of them are known as keystone species because their absence could lead to the destruction of the ecosystems in which they exist. Whether you are talking about ocean apex predators like orcas or land predators like tigers, they serve a key function in their habitat. What many of these people may not realize is that apex predators are important for the health of the planet. With this sort of reputation, many people have little sympathy for any apex predator species. Farmers might also want to hunt wolves to protect livestock and any shark attack tends to make big news. in actuality, they are simply behaving the way they have been biologically designed to in order to protect their kind, and to ensure ecosystems function as normal. These predators are branded aggressive and violent. Top apex predators such as polar bears often get an unfair reputation.
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