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The simple answer is - they don't. The "balance" to which you refer is just a matter of where things settle out. While the various species are "balancing", some may die out in the environment, some may thrive, some may overpopulate to a detrimental level. The point at which the population levels of the various species stops changing is basically the balance point. It all depends on the resources available and the fitness of each species for obtaining the resources it needs to survive and reproduce. If conditions change, during a drought for example, then the species are going to go through that balancing process again. Some might die out. Heck, they might ALL die out. Different species might thrive. In other words, there is no guarantee that nature will support a given balance of species within a certain environment. Predator/prey, mutualism, and parasitism (and commensalism, etc.) are strategies species use to try to make themselves more fit and able to survive and reproduce.
Depending on conditions, some of these strategies are more beneficial than others.
Wiki User
∙ 16y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoMost animals that are considered "prey" (mice, deer, small birds, etc.) are heterotrophs, meaning they get their food from somewhere as opposed to producing it themselves. If there aren't very many predators for a certain species in an ecosystem, and there are enough resources to support the species, it will boom, causing a sharp decline in available resources (i.e. food, water, shelter). This will lead to a drop in the population of the species, if not outright extinction. Predators keep the population of a species down so there will be enough resources to continue supporting that population.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoPredation maintains balance by ensuring only a healthy number of organisms are in a particular ecosystem.
In a simple example, wolves keep deer population at a level that prevents the deer from over grazing, which in turn would effect not only the plant population, but also the organisms that depend on those plants.
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In natural ecosystems the presence of predators lessens the effects of what among the prey?
Competition
How is an ecosystem maintained in nature and how it survives?
An ecosystem is maintained and survives by remaining in balance. A balance of predators and prey, a balance of resources and users who use those resources, and a balance of animal and plant populations.
Delicate balance of ecosystems?
swag
How do ecosystems survive in nature?
An ecosystem is maintained by keeping a balance, such as a balance between the number of resources and the number of the users. Or the balance between predators and prey. Also, it helps by humans not destroying the habitat.
What role do predators play in maintaining the balance of an ecosystem?
Henfrayyy:57 minutes agoIf natural selections deselects the prey with qualities that can make it a worthy adversary to the predator, the predator's chief source of food will diminish and with it the predator. In consequence, the surviving prey will increase in population. The net effect is that the predator-prey balance will be upset.
How are ecosystems maintained?
An ecosystem is maintained by keeping a balance between the number of resources and the number of the users. Also, it is maintained by the balance between predators and prey.
Do ecosystems need predators?
to balance out the food chain
In natural ecosystems the presence of predators lessens the effects of what among the prey?
Competition
How is an ecosystem maintained in nature and how it survives?
An ecosystem is maintained and survives by remaining in balance. A balance of predators and prey, a balance of resources and users who use those resources, and a balance of animal and plant populations.
Are wolves in an ecosystem?
yes. they serve the function of "predators" in most ecosystems in which they exist.
Are salamanders prey or predators?
They are both predators and prey.
Are a salamander's prey or predators?
They are both predators and prey.
What if there not enough preys for predators to eat?
When there is not enough prey for the predators, the circle of life will kick in, and they will being to die off. Once the predator levels have shrunk, the population of the prey will increase, allowing the remaining predators to feed, and reproduce. Its all a matter of balance xD
How does the number of prey effect the number of predators?
Predators EAT their prey. If the number of prey diminishes there is less food available for the predators to catch so some of them starve to death. Similarly if there are numerous prey then the predators eat well and breed successfully and their numbers go up. There is therefore a balance between the numbers of predators and their prey.
What are the chimpanzees prey or predators?
Prey bugs and predators leapords
How can a predator population decrease but the prey population stay the same?
Even if a prey species reproduces incredibly fast ,this will just mean more food for the predators. More food for predators usually translates into more predators and more mouths to feed. If this doesn't balance out the predator or the prey species die off but if it does balance out it is usually because the predators need a lot of time to find the prey or actually eat them, like if they had to guard their meal against scavengers.
What is the difference between prey and predators?
Prey animals are eaten by predators. (Preydators)
