In a forest ecosystem of Grass → Impala → Hyena, if all the Hyenas are taken away, what will happen ultimately?

The correct answer is Impala will die of starvation due to higher population.

Key Points

• Hyenas are predators in the forest ecosystem responsible for controlling the population of Impalas.
• With the removal of Hyenas, the Impala population will grow unchecked, leading to overpopulation.
• Overpopulation of Impalas increases competition for limited resources like grass, causing depletion of food supply.
• The lack of adequate food will result in starvation, leading to a decline in the Impala population over time.
• Such disturbances demonstrate the interdependence of species in an ecosystem and the importance of predators in maintaining ecological balance.

Additional Information

• Forest Ecosystems: These are complex systems consisting of producers (grass), consumers (Impala), and predators (Hyena), which maintain ecological balance through food chains.
• Role of Predators: Predators control the population of herbivores, preventing overgrazing and ensuring the sustainability of vegetation.
• Food Chain Dynamics: In a food chain, removal of any species disrupts the flow of energy and resource availability, leading to ecological imbalance.
• Carrying Capacity: The maximum population size that an environment can sustain without depleting resources; exceeding this limit results in starvation and population collapse.
• Trophic Levels: Each level in a food chain represents energy transfer; producers (grass), primary consumers (Impala), and secondary consumers (Hyena) are interconnected.