The Pacific sea otter was hunted to near extinction in the early 1900s. The loss of this predator resulted in several changes to
the kelp forest ecosystem. Populations of sea urchins, which are one of the sea otters' favorite prey, grew to historically high numbers. Sea urchins graze on kelp, and the extremely large populations of sea urchins significantly reduced kelp biomass. Researchers have hypothesized that overgrazing of kelp by urchins may have hastened the extinction of the Stellar's sea cow, which also depended on kelp as a food source. Identify the ecosystem relationships that were disrupted in the kelp forests by the loss of sea otters.
Interspecific competition between sea urchins and Stellar's sea cows
Predation fo sea urchins by sea otters
Explanation:
As urchins and Stellar's sea cows feed on seaweed, since these algae are low in quantity, these two organisms end up competing for food, creating an inter-specific competition, which occurs when two organisms compete for the same resource within a same ecological niche. However, as the hedgehog has advantages in this niche, this competition was interrupted.
The otters' predatorism in relation to sea urchins was also interrupted, as the otters reached a very low population level, failing to control the hedgehog population and generating an environmental imbalance.
Termites are the important insects due to its role in in nutrient recycling in the terrestrial ecosystems. Termites eat wood. The wood contain cellulose, a complex carbohydrate which is cannot be digested by most insects such as termites. For the breakdown and digestion of wood is carried out by the microorganisms present in the hindgut of the termites. The microbes live in the gut as a symbiont. The microbes break down cellulose into simple sugars and fatty acids which are easily absorbed into the cells of the termites.
It is sexual selection because it is a type of natural selection in which an organism or organisms acquire traits which help the individual to be choose as a mating partner or to have preference for a mating partner or for competition among one sex organisms in which a traits succeed.
Sexual selection can be intrasexual or or intersexual. Intrasexual is is competition between one sex of the same organism and intersexual is between sexes of different organism.
