Question

How does a decrease/decline in a top predator impact biodiversity in an ecosystem?

Answer 1

Answer:

Results in biodiversity loss due to the proliferated growth of prey that feeds on smaller species

Please find the explanation below

Explanation:

In an ecosystem, organisms feed on one another to obtain energy. In this process organisms called CONSUMERS kill and feed on one another in a process called PREDATION. Top predators are those consumers that are found at the peak of the food chain.

A reduction in the number of top predators/tertiary consumers in an ecosystem means that the secondary consumers they feed on (prey) will grow and reproduce beyond control, hence, causing them to pose serious threat to the population of smaller species below them in the food chain.

Therefore, a decrease/decline in a top predator will impact biodiversity by causing it's loss, as organisms in lower level of the food chain will drastically diminish.