The rapid disappearance of top predators such as wolf, cuga, lion or shark has increased the number of intermediate carnivores, which has led to instability in the birth system. environmental and economic considerations, according to a recent study.
New findings published in Science Biology on October 1 show that all of the largest carnivores in North America are disappearing rapidly over the past 20 years while a series of other intermediate carnivores up to 60% are growing. This problem is becoming a global issue, which is becoming more and more serious without seeing any immediate solution.
For example, in areas of Saharan Africa, lions and leopards are declining and appear to be replaced by intermediate carnivores like baboons. In some places children have to stay at home instead of going to school to protect their gardens from the baboons that destroy the crops.
William Ripple, a professor of social systems and forest ecology at Oregon State University, said: 'This problem is very complicated, and there are many consequences that are difficult to know. However, there is evidence of a population explosion of intermediate predators that negatively affect the economy and ecology. '
In each case in the world, researchers have said that the main predators such as wolves, lions or sharks are worrying whether or not they are either purposeful or due to the effects of habitat, hunting or fishing. Many times have been discovered by humans, the attacks are horrifying, the disappearance of pet herds or other concerns. However, a new emerging picture is a series of problems, including confusion in economics and ecosystems that can cause other problems that are deeply rooted from animals. This main carnivorous.
Mr. Clinton Epps, associate professor at OSU is studying the interrelationships between humans and the wild animal world saying, 'I have done a lot of wildlife-related jobs in Chau. Africa and everyone everywhere ask the same question, What are we doing? ' ' Most people understand that these problems are very complex, not as simple as getting rid of wolves or lions and thinking you have solved the problem. We have to be very careful when talking about what comes next that will be an easy solution. '
The disappearance of wolves is the joy of the owners of livestock, for example, they fear the wolf will attack their cattle. However, this led to an increase in the number of pasture wolves, an intermediate predator that was previously fed by wolves. These coyotes attacked the farmed sheep and antelopes and tried to control them so that they were the most expensive, worth hundreds of millions of dollars.'The economic influence of intermediate carnivores has been expected to promote top-class predators and have similar support or new resistance to humans. New intermediate predators appear to be more dense than first-class carnivores and show greater ability to control the effects. ' According to reviews from scientists who wrote in their reports.
The issues raised are not clearly defined in the ecosystem. Sharks, for example, have the largest decline in numbers due to rampant fishing. In some places, the population of stingray populations causes a balance of fish collapse in the bay and economic and biological loss.
Among the findings of the study:
•. The first and major predators can protect the prey population by destroying smaller predators and it is not the concern that this mechanism has caused the collapse of the entire ecosystem.
• Negative influences leading to an increase in the number of intermediate carnivore populations has been documented on birds, sea turtles, lizards, rodents, rabbits, fish, insects, and oysters. and ungulates.
• The cost to control intermediate carnivores can be very high, and can sometimes be more effective at lower costs by paying large ecosystems of predators.
• Human intervention may not easily replace the role of first-class predators, partly because of concerns about replacement not only in the population but also in the reaction behavior of These intermediate predators.
• Large predators may be thitivores, but intermediate predators are often omnivores and can have consequences for crops and trees.
• The effects of the number of intermediate predators can be detected in the sea, live streams and forests and grasslands around the world.
• Preventing the emergence of intermediate predators is becoming very difficult and costly as the top predators are gradually being wiped out.
'This problem cannot have a simple solution. I have just read that when Gen, George Armstrong custer to the Black Hole in 1874, he noticed a rare population of coyotes and the abundance of wolves, Now wolves are disappearing and wolfing together is raging and killing thousands of rescues around the world. ' Mr. Ripple said.
'We are just beginning to assess the impact of these top carnivores' disappearance. At OSU, Mr. Ripple and his colleague Robert Beschta had extensive research and articles on the impact of the disappearance of predators such as wolves and cuga newspapers on the ecosystem, not just creating things. sued for a series of herbivores such as deer that developed but also faded away the fear of changing the activities of these animals. They were saved during the ecosystem discovery in Yellowstone National Park after the wolf was introduced back here. "
Collaborators in this study included researchers from OSU, University of California at Berkeley State University and New Mexico in Las Cruces. This program is funded by the National Department of Agriculture and Science Foundation.