Question

Suppose that herbivores were removed from a temperate deciduous forest ecosystem. Predict what would happen to the rate of nitrogen cycling. Explain the logic behind your prediction.

Answer 1

Below, the nitrogen cycle is described below.

The Plants utlize the nitrates in the soil to fix nitrogen. These plants are consumed by herbivores and thus nitrogen enters the animal system.

Plants and animals are both decomposed by bacteria which break down the nitrogen containing organic matter to release ammonia into the soil. Nitrogen fixing bacteria found in soil and root nodules of plants also play a role in fixing atmospheric nitrogen into the soil as ammonia.

This ammonia gets converted into nitriles and nitrates by nitrifying bacteria and into nitrogen by the denitrifying bacteria, which is released into the atmosphere.

So as you can see from the nitrogen cycle, herbivores play a crucial role in the nitrogen cycle. And if they were removed from the ecosystem, would result in a drastic decrease in the rate of nitrogen cycle.

This is because herbivores act as a link between transfer of nitrogen from plants into the animal system and indirectly control the amount of nitrogen entering the soil as ammonia through decomposition of nitrogen containing organic compounds found in animals.