If a certain species in the rainforest were to die out what would happen to the ecosystem?

Question

If a certain species in the rainforest were to die out what would happen to the ecosystem?

Answer 1

If that certain species are predators, then the number of preys will increase. but if that species are prey then the number of predators will also decrease since they will lost their food. and they have to migrate to other community in order for them to continue living. yah there is imbalance among the organisms.

Answer 2

Depending on the species. It could cause inbalance or pandamonium, again it depends.....

Answer 3

The food chain would break. All the animals would be dropping out by starvation. The ecosystem wouldn't be an ecosystem. Every animal has a purpose of being in a ecosystem. When one animal gets out of the ecosystem the purpose the animal was their can not be filled in by another animal. It could also cause other animals to face starvation. Most of the animals would be taking food so serious they would walk to anoher ecosystem to find food.

Hope you could understand my answer.

Answer 4

Eeree Meeree Earthling,

Everything on this planet depends on something else. Plants provide oxygen to animals and humans, just like plants are dependent on carbon dioxide. Everything on this planet is a circle of life. The rainforest is one of the richest habitats of species on the planet.

For instance, in the Amazon there are specific types of frogs that are dying which is a small indication that the surroundings are changing drastically. Life on this planet is interdependent and symbiotic between different types of species. Everybody feeds on somebody.

Depending on the species, the death of a particular species will have a different affect on entire rainforest ecosystem. The problem is that humans do not know the total effects and magnitude of each particular species and how it is interdependent on other species.

This is a lot more complex scenario than most people realize.  Think of the rainforest as a complex evolving system and small variations in the system could cause huge consiquences to the entire rainforest.

The most troubling is that we are reaching the tipping point (the point of no return where things exponentially get worse and cannot be reversed). What you must consider is that the rainforest is part of the larger ecosystem called Planet Earth. Every year, the Amazon is being cut down at the rate of an area the size of Portugal. Imagine the consequences for the Amazon Rain Forest and planet Earth when we get to the point were we have cut down 50% of the trees in the Amazon. It will be time to pack up and move to another planet, unless we are able to replenish the rate of deforestation by planting new trees.

Answer 5

it really depends on the species if it were man lets say then the Eco system would flourish.At present I have read that we are losing 10 species per day in the rain forests it does not seem to have a effect yet

Answer 6

Typically, when one one species dies out the ecosystem changes.  

If a preditory species dies out, either one of two things happens:  (1) the population of they prey animals skyrockets, leading to disease that kills off the exess population, and eventually nature re-establishes equilibrium; or (2) it makes way for another preditor to come in and fill the niche.

If a prey animal goes extinct, the preditors will dwindle in numbers due to starvation  unless another prey animal moves in to take its place.

One thing to look at in the grand scheme is that whenever one species dies, it will make room for another to move in.  There is a natural equilibrium to be maintained.  As human beings, we are not separate from nature, we are part of it.