APEX PREDATORS

APEX PREDATORS

TOPIC: Environment

Context- The sloth bear, tiger and dhole are among 36 apex predators worldwide affected the most due to road construction in their native habitats, a study published February 21, 2022, in the journal Nature, has stated.

Concept-

• Eight of the top 10 apex predators most affected due to roads running through their habitat are from Asia.
• Other important predators affected by roads across continents include:
  • Iberian lynx (Europe)
  • African wild dog (Africa)
  • Lion (Africa and Asia)
  • Ethiopian wolf (Africa)
  • Leopard (Asia and Africa)
  • Striped hyena (Asia and Africa)
  • Canadian lynx (North America)
  • Wolverine (North America and Eurasia)
  • Brown Hyena (Africa)
  • Fosa (Madagascar)
  • Spectacle Bear (South America)
  • Maned Wolf (South America)

Apex Predators:

• An apex predator, also known as an alpha predator or top predator, is a predator at the top of a food chain, without natural predators.
• Apex predators are usually defined in terms of trophic dynamics, meaning that they occupy the highest trophic levels.
• For example, wolves prey mostly upon large herbivores (primary consumers), which eat plants (primary producers).
• The apex predator concept is applied in wildlife management, conservation and ecotourism.
• Significance:
  • Apex predators affect prey species’ population dynamics and populations of other predators, both in aquatic and in terrestrial ecosystems.
  • They are central to the functioning of ecosystems, the regulation of disease, and the maintenance of biodiversity.
• Humans are not considered apex predators because their diets are typically diverse, although human trophic levels increase with consumption of meat.