Final answer:
Removing moths from an ecosystem can cause significant disruption, as moths are key pollinators and prey species. Cleaner factories have influenced moth color distribution, favoring lighter moths due to camouflage effectiveness. The extinction of a single species can have a dramatic 'domino effect' on ecosystem stability.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the moth population was removed from an ecosystem, there would be significant impacts due to their roles as pollinators, prey, and agents of natural selection. An environmental change like cleaner factories releasing less soot has historically impacted the distribution of moth color populations such as the peppered moth. Lighter colored moths became more prevalent when soot levels decreased because they were better camouflaged from predators against the lighter trees, while when factories released more soot, darker moths had a survival advantage.
Within a food web, if an entire row such as row B which may represent a specific trophic level or group of species is eliminated due to a natural disaster, there would be significant impacts. Prey species within this group may experience population booms due to reduced predation, while predator species that rely on these organisms for food could starve and diminish in numbers, potentially collapsing the food web structure.
When the selective pressure favoring a certain phenotype like the dark form of a moth is reduced or reversed, the population distribution will shift accordingly. If darker moths are suddenly at a disadvantage, we would expect the lighter moths to become more prevalent over time. This shift is an example of how environmental changes can drive evolutionary adaptations or reversals in a population.
If a single species goes extinct, there can be numerous effects on ecosystem stability, depending on the ecological role of the species. The loss of a key producer or decomposer could lead to a 'domino effect,' where other species that depended on it also decline or disappear. This could disrupt the balance and function of the entire ecosystem, proving the importance of biodiversity.