Rhinos, elephants, tapirs, hippos, zebras ... Many of these large herbivores are threatened or in serious danger of extinction, but what if they really went extinct? A group of researchers from Stanford University has studied that hypothetical future, and the short answer is nothing good.
The team, led by biologist Rodolfo Dirzo, has analyzed the consequences for the ecosystem if 73 species of large herbivores disappeared. Most of them are native to Africa, but there are also ecosystem animals in Southeast Asia, Latin America, North America or Europe.
Regardless of the place where they live, the disappearance of these species of large herbivores after a first conclusion: their death carries with them many large carnivores that feed on them.
In case a chain extinction is not enough, the disappearance of animals that devour large amounts of biomass also has effects on the balance of the plant ecosystem. Many plant species use large herbivores to spread their seeds. Their absence would limit the extension of certain plant species and would also put them at risk of disappearing, completely altering the structure of the ecosystem.
The species of large herbivores also carry out a work almost "gardeners" of the ecosystem in which they live. Their disappearance would suppose an increase of weeds and a concentration of biomass not consumed that would increase the risk and the gravity of the forest fires. Finally, the lack of competition and large predators would mean a boom in the population of small mammals, fundamentally rodents such as rats, which are known carriers of diseases also for humans.
There are direct consequences for the human communities that live off hunting and consuming wild animals in some places, but the worst consequences are more global and in a longer term.
for more information, visit this page:
http://www.visualavi.com/alteracion-las-cadenas-alimenticias-las-actividades-humanas/
