Question

What are trophic cascades and how do they explain connected biological systems?

Answer 1

Trophic cascade is an ecological phenomenon that is triggered by the removal and addition of top most predators and involves reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predators and preys through a food chain and that often results in some dramatic changes in nutrient cycling and the ecosystem. Trophic cascades involves indirect species interactions that originate with predators and spread downward through the food webs.

Biological systems could be explained by Trophic cascades as these involve powerful indirect interactions that can control the entire ecosystem. Trophic cascades mostly occur when predators limit the density or sometimes when the behavior of their prey and ultimately leads to enhancement of the survival of the next lower trophic level. According to the definition of the Trophic cascade, it must occur across a minimum of three feeding levels and that is how they most commonly occur, although there are some evidences of 4- and 5-level trophic cascades in nature, but are comparatively far less common.