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What is an apex predator?
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What are apex predators and why are they important for the ecosystem? Learn about the characteristics and examples of these top-level carnivores that have no natural enemies, and how they influence the food chain and biodiversity. Discover Wildlife brings you fascinating facts and stories about apex predators from around the world.
apex predator, in ecology, any flesh-eating animal that has no natural predators or enemies. Apex predators hold the top rank in a plant-herbivore-carnivore food chain and the uppermost position of an ecosystem’s trophic (or energy) pyramid, making them the final destination of energy flow in a given biological community.
- John P. Rafferty
Apex predators can have profound effects on ecosystems, as the consequences of both controlling prey density and restricting smaller predators, and may be capable of self-regulation. They are central to the functioning of ecosystems, the regulation of disease, and the maintenance of biodiversity. [13]
Aug 8, 2022 · Apex predators occupy the highest trophic positions in food webs and serve profoundly important roles in ecological and evolutionary processes, shaping and re-shaping the traits of prey and how they interact with one another and the ecosystem.
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An apex predator is a species that sits at the top of its food chain or web and has no natural predators. They’re often the largest or strongest in their habitat. They’re carnivorous and have often evolved special adaptations such as sharp teeth, powerful jaws and keen senses to help them actively hunt and kill their prey.
Perturbations could be due to natural events such as disease, or human activities such as hunting. By comparing ecosystems with or without apex predators, ecologists can determine the direct and indirect impact of these animals on their environments. In the second lecture, Estes explains the ecological role of sea otters in coastal ecosystems.
Sep 15, 2011 · Using such terms as “deep anxiety” and “grave concern” to signal their alarm, the authors contend that the loss of large animals, and apex predators in particular, constitutes humanity’s “most pervasive influence” on the environment.
