FOOD CHAIN BALANCE IN ECOSYSTEM AND THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FOOD CHAIN STABILITY

Abstract

Food chains are the basic routes of energy and nutrients flow in the ecosystems at various ecological hierarchy level. The good balance of these food chains is crucial when it comes to providing the stability of the ecologies, conservation of biodiversity, and sustainable operation of the ecosystem. Climate change, habitat destruction pollution and excessive exploitation of species are some of the disturbances that may interfere with trophic interactions and cause predator prey interactions. Recent ecological findings also suggest that loss of keystone predators may lead to trophic cascades which have a profound deflection in community structure and ecosystem productivity. Indicatively, marine as well as terrestrial ecosystem research has indicated that top predator’s removal can cause an increase in population of the herbivores, which causes over vegetation loss and habitat degradation. The destabilization of the natural food chains has also been accelerated by anthropogenic forces such as agricultural intensification and even plastic pollution. Recently, micro plastic contamination has been observed at several trophic levels, which point to its transmission through the food webs and possible ecological impacts. Further, invasive species and human alterations are identified as significant factors which alter the interactions of species and decrease the ecological resilience. Balanced food chains are therefore important in controlling nutrient recycling, energy flow and stability of the population. Trophic relationships have to be brought back to normal and ecosystem services should be conserved by means of ecological monitoring and conservation measures. Knowledge of the mechanisms keeping the trophic balance can justify the successful environmental management and biodiversity conservation policies. This review identifies the ecological significance of balanced food chains and discusses the key natural and man-made forces that cause their disturbance. It also works out the existing research results on trophic dynamics and ecosystem stability. It also highlights the necessity of combination conservation strategies so as to maintain the ecological equilibrium in the rapidly evolving environment.