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Question
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?
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Solution
Yes. Depending on the trophic level, various organisms will be affected differently if all of them are eliminated. For instance, eliminating all of the producers (T1) will negatively impact both herbivores and carnivores as well as all other consumer types, whereas eliminating all of the herbivores will negatively impact only the carnivores while increasing the number of producers.
No. The removal of any organism at any trophic level will always have a negative impact on the ecosystem. For example, eliminating tigers and lions, two of the top carnivores will quickly increase the number of deer, which will then quickly consume the available vegetation, leading to a shortage of vegetation and a deer population crash.
