Cascade Effect (Ecology)

Herausgegeben:Surhone, Lambert M.; Timpledon, Miriam T.; Marseken, Susan F.

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. An ecological cascade effect is a series of secondary extinctions that is triggered by the primary extinction of a key species in an ecosystem. Secondary extinctions are likely to occur when the threatened species are: dependent on a few specific food sources, mutualistic(dependent on the key species in some way), or forced to coexist with an invasive species that is introduced to the ecosystem. Species introductions to a foreign ecosystem can often devastate entire communities, and even entire ecosystems. These exotic species monopolize the ecosystem''s resources, and since they have no natural predators to decrease their growth, they are able to increase indefinitely. Olsen, T.M. et al. showed that exotic species have caused lake and estuary ecosystems to go through cascade effects due to loss of algae, crayfish, mollusks, fish, amphibians, and birds. However, the principal cause of cascade effects is the loss of top predators as the key species. As a result of this loss, a dramatic increase (ecological release) of prey species occurs.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Betascript Publishing
• Seitenzahl: 152
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 220mm
• ISBN-13: 9786131046759
• ISBN-10: 6131046751
• Artikelnr.: 29841193