Question

Paddy is cultivated on large scale in various states of South India. Paddy fields are frequently attacked by grasshoppers. Similarly, frogs are also present in large number in the mud of paddy fields, to feed upon grasshoppers and snakes are also present therein to feed upon their favourite food- frogs.

However, if frog population declines all of a sudden,

1. What will be the effect on the paddy crop?
2. Number of which consumers will decline and which will increase?
3. What will be the overall effect on that ecosystem?

Answer 1

1. A decline in the frog population will cause a sharp increase in grasshoppers, leading to severe insect pest infestation in the paddy fields.
2. In the natural food chain: Paddy → Grasshoppers → Frogs → Snakes, a decline in the frog population will cause the following changes:
   • Increase: The number of primary consumers (grasshoppers) will rise rapidly because there are no frogs left to hunt them.
   • Decline: The number of tertiary consumers (snakes) will decrease due to the sudden shortage of their main food source (frogs).
   • Other Effects: As snakes decrease, the population of rats and rodents from nearby areas will also increase. This collective imbalance drastically reduces overall paddy production.
3. A decline in the frog population will imbalance the entire ecosystem. It will alter the balance between prey and predator populations, ultimately breaking the food chain.