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What could happen in an ecosystem without primary consumers

User Raad
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The ecosystem would get all messed up. For example, let's say there is a hawk, a snake, and a mouse. The hawks eat the snakes, and the snakes eat the mice. If the hawks were to go missing, there would be more snakes, thus causing less mice. All of the mice would eventually get eaten since the snakes can reproduce with so many of them. Once all of the mice are gone, the snakes would eventually die of starvation. Thus, if all the primary consumers in an ecosystem were removed there would eventually be an increase in secondary consumers, that would lead to a decrease in the producers/vegetarians. This eventually would lead to a decrease of secondary consumers/carnivores.


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User Gerald Versluis
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Next, there are small herbivores that eat the plants such as mice, ants, and grasshoppers. Foxes, snakes, and lizards prey upon the small consumers. ... If all the primary consumers in an ecosystem were removed there would eventually be an increase in producers and a decrease in secondary and tertiary consumers.

User Narnian
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