22,410,861 members doing good!

Loss Of Top Predators Causing Surge In Smaller Predators, Ecosystem Collapse


Animals  (tags: animals, wolves, sharks, cougars, lions, predators, hunting, ranchers, livestock, sheep, science, investigation, research, humans, wildlife, wildanimals, extinction, environment, habitat, ecosystems, nature, coyotes, rodents, economy )

Tom
- 1323 days ago - sciencedaily.com
The catastrophic decline around the world of "apex" predators such as wolves, cougars, lions or sharks has led to a huge increase in smaller "mesopredators" that are causing major economic and ecological disruptions, a new study concludes.



Select names from your address book   |   Help
   

We hate spam. We do not sell or share the email addresses you provide.

Comments

Gorilly Girl (339)
Monday October 5, 2009, 4:08 pm
Very correct...can you see a bobcat trying to take down a deer???? We so need to keep our top predators alive and kicking to keep things in check. I am not talking about human predators either...LOL

Big gorilly Hugs
 

Betsy Bee (1370)
Tuesday October 6, 2009, 5:06 pm
Once again, another article about the stability of ecosystems. I cannot believe that anybody would believe that the ecosystem would not collapse after the loss of the apex predator. Thank you, Tom, fr this distressing news.
 

Tierney G. (387)
Tuesday October 6, 2009, 7:20 pm
You can't fool mother nature. When are they going to realize that. I guess when it is too late as always. I just want to be around long enough to say I told you so to those that don't believe we are destroying everything in our sight.
 

mary f. (149)
Wednesday October 7, 2009, 1:03 am
thanks tom when is humanity going to take off the blindfold and see the harm were doing?
 

Eureka Morrison (356)
Wednesday October 7, 2009, 3:47 am
When all our eco systems have collaspsed - I dont think we'll be around for very long to watch this 'collapse'
 

Mm M. (420)
Wednesday October 7, 2009, 9:29 am
OHHHH Tom THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS GREAT ARTICLE!!!

People please visit this site for a great read! Man has taken away the "larger" preditors by his greed and neglect, misue of the taking animals off the Endangered Animal Act. Thus, like this article said where there once one wolves rading sheep, now there are coyotes. DUHHHHH no surprise there!

Would really be happy when they sell a tag for this hunters personally, want to keep this system in balance, but sadly it is so out of kilter right now, I personally wonder can we ever get it back? JEEPERS!!!!!

When this Planet has everything that is great and special in ruin, the greed of Mankind will turn on each other, in fact, basically, it has already started.

Great article...but would love to reverse all of the BAD DECISIONS THAT MAN HAS MADE DUE TO HIS $$$$$
 

paul r. (48)
Wednesday October 7, 2009, 9:54 am
Balance in natural systems is essential - like homeostasis in our bodies is essential for us to function health wise - if we interfere with these delicate natural systems then what do we expect...? We have seen it happen over and over again - cats introduced into Australia devastates the natural wildlife, rats introduced into small islands kill off most of the bird population, carniverous snails introduced to kill off a particular snaIL wiped out a different and rarer snail population, when will we learn to leave nature to her beautiful self - she managed perfectly before we arrived...
 

BigCatRescue A. (205)
Wednesday October 7, 2009, 10:00 am
"For in the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."
Dioum, Baba

thanks Tom
 

Catherine O Neill (70)
Wednesday October 7, 2009, 7:25 pm
Mother Nature has a perfect balance & when it's disrupted chaos ensues. Its a domino effect. The rest will fall what a shame.
 

greenplanet e. (151)
Wednesday October 7, 2009, 11:21 pm
The top predators facilitate biodiversity in ecosystems all the way down to the smallest things. Humankind has been immensely reckless in attacking and killing predators and/or displacing them from their habitat. I only hope we can reverse the situation somehow. "Big sorrowful sigh"
 

Mandi T. (347)
Thursday October 8, 2009, 8:58 am
Great post , attention needs to be brought to this! Ecosystems R collapsing.
Thank you Tom.
 

Past Member (0)
Friday October 9, 2009, 10:27 am
Thank you so much, Tom. This is incredible...
 

A Human voice S. (23)
Friday October 9, 2009, 2:46 pm
FANTASTIC TOM! GOOD JOB!
 

Ron Stephen (40)
Friday October 9, 2009, 6:34 pm
I know this is unpopular but the anti-seal hunt campaign, based on its brutality, never mentions that 300,000 seals that are currently killed would each eat 7 pounds of fish (everything we eat they eat) per day. Since we have killed off all the natural predators for the seal simply ceasing the hunt would be insanity. Ask any fisherman how the fish stocks in the Atlantic are doing and then start to calculate the damage 300,000 more seals each year would do. Stopping the brutality is a noble goal but doing so without putting another mechanism in place to cull the seal herd in some other way is just suicidal. The environmental impact is enormous.
 

Not Kidding (25)
Saturday October 10, 2009, 1:43 am
Thank you for saying that Ron, and yes, it is unpopular! Ah, BUT it's true.

I recall growing up, seeing deer barely as big as large dogs, because they were not finding enough foods for all of them and simply starving. As long as hunters are legal, follow ALL the rules, and then aren't greedy, I have no problem with them being allowed to kill, BECAUSE too many animals suffer otherwise, BUT TOO MANY so-called hunters Don't Follow The Rules! They want to do it their way, without respect for the animals, and it's about their entitlement and it's all wrong!

I don't have answers, or know what should be done to make it right (again), but I know if we don't start paying attention to ALL LIFE around us - from the birds and the trees, from the dogs to the cattle - WE will surely ruin what's left of this earth by our selfishness and 'it's not my problem' attitude!

An elder lady was just attacked by a pack of raccons here in Florida! Soon enough, we all might be fighting for our life whenever we go outside! WAKE UP PEOPLE!
 

Cyn Sopel (62)
Sunday October 11, 2009, 7:07 pm
As long as there is an over-population of humans as there is now, unfortunately there will never be any balance...
 

Winefred M. (88)
Sunday October 18, 2009, 9:26 am
Human beings always do stupid things to themselves.
According to all natives in the world every living creature has a purpose in this world,so killing the animals to expand is like killing yourself!!!!!!!!!
 

Jacqueline S. (231)
Sunday November 1, 2009, 6:15 pm
Humans are destroying the whole system of things - live and let live is not just something I like to think about - it really should be a way of life.Not one of us humans or other beings is here on this planet to live up to the expectations of what others or so called experts think we should or should not be or do and neither have they been given the right to tell us how to live our lives!!! TY Tom Love & Light
 
Or, log in with your
Facebook account:
Please add your comment: (plain text only please. Allowable HTML: <a>)

Track Comments: Notify me with a personal message when other people comment on this story


Loading Noted By...Please Wait

 

 
Content and comments expressed here are the opinions of Care2 users and not necessarily that of Care2.com or its affiliates.
Copyright © 2013 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved