Huffington Post’s article authoritatively described the definition of a trophic cascade as an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition, or removal of top predators and involving reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through a food chain, which often results in dramatic changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling (huffingtonpost.com).” For that reason, in today’s society we have witnessed numerous trophic cascades that occur all over the world, specifically sea otters, blue crabs, jaguars, and as we discussed in class wolves that illustrate predators that decimate their prey because of the food chain (quora.com).”
First of all, in the example of the sea otters, sea otters eat urchins. Sea urchins are omnivorous animals and therefore eat both plant and animal matter. The sea urchin mainly feeds on algae on the coral and rocks, along with decomposing matter such as dead fish, mussels, sponges, barnacles, and kelp. So, sea otters keep the sea urchin population in check so that the kelp population and the reliant ecosystem can flourish. Following the sea …show more content…
“The Tragedy of the Commons" is a term used to describe what happens to common resources as a result of human greed. It was first coined in an article in Science in 1968 by Garrett Hardin. The commons dilemma was seen long before Hardin, but he brought widespread attention to it and described it in a common-sense fashion that made it easily accessible.” For instance, “at its core, the Tragedy of the Commons demonstrates that, in a situation where the consequences of a course of action are shared among a collective, while the benefits are reaped by an individual or single group within the collective, people will tend to take actions that in the long term are detrimental to the group as a whole. This is a tragedy because, in seeking their own personal gain, the members of the group actually ultimately hurt themselves
First of all, in the example of the sea otters, sea otters eat urchins. Sea urchins are omnivorous animals and therefore eat both plant and animal matter. The sea urchin mainly feeds on algae on the coral and rocks, along with decomposing matter such as dead fish, mussels, sponges, barnacles, and kelp. So, sea otters keep the sea urchin population in check so that the kelp population and the reliant ecosystem can flourish. Following the sea …show more content…
“The Tragedy of the Commons" is a term used to describe what happens to common resources as a result of human greed. It was first coined in an article in Science in 1968 by Garrett Hardin. The commons dilemma was seen long before Hardin, but he brought widespread attention to it and described it in a common-sense fashion that made it easily accessible.” For instance, “at its core, the Tragedy of the Commons demonstrates that, in a situation where the consequences of a course of action are shared among a collective, while the benefits are reaped by an individual or single group within the collective, people will tend to take actions that in the long term are detrimental to the group as a whole. This is a tragedy because, in seeking their own personal gain, the members of the group actually ultimately hurt themselves