question_answer 5)

Will the impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level be different for different trophic levels? Can the organisms of any trophic level be removed without causing any damage to the ecosystem?

Answer:

(i) Yes. The impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level will be different for different trophic levels, e.g., removal of all the producers (T1) will adversely affect all the types of consumers including herbivores and carnivores, while the removal of all the herbivores will adversely affect only the carnivores but there will be increase in the number of the producers. (ii) No. Removal of all the organisms of any trophic level will always adversely affect the ecosystem, e.g., even the removal of lions and tigers (top carnivores) will cause rapid increase in deer population, which leads to rapid consumption of vegetation resulting in scarcity of vegetation and population crash of deer.