Sharks are among the most incredible creatures on the entire planet. They are the health index of the oceans and, thanks to their predatory activity, they maintain the balance between species in marine ecosystems . But why are sharks so important to marine ecosystems? What could cause its disappearance from the oceans ?
Why are sharks important to marine ecosystems? The answer is amazing
The scientific community has always agreed that a drastic decrease in these animals could have devastating effects . Sharks, in fact, are at the top of the food chain and feed on a wide range of different species, maintaining the balance of marine species and the ecosystems themselves.
In practice, the action of sharks consists of the predation and control of the species on which they feed. The latter, in the absence of predators, could grow in number and mark the annihilation of other sea creatures. But it doesn’t stop there. Thanks to a series of studies, it has been shown that the action of sharks is not only limited to predatory activity, in the control of the animal trophic chain, but that they also act as “environmental regulators”, even helping to stop the devastating effects of climate change.
By analyzing what is called Shark Bay , one of the quintessential aquatic biomes located in the Western Australia region, scientists have understood the added importance of these magnificent animals.
In this bay there is an ecosystem formed by predators, prey and a dense shrub of algae , called phanerogams, useful for mitigating marine currents, purifying waters and providing protection and nutrition to many species. In addition, these algae trap carbon dioxide and stabilize the sediments on the seabed that store it , preventing greenhouse gases from dispersing into the oceans and atmosphere.
According to a discovery dating back to 2012, made by Michael. R. Heithaus, National Geographic Explorer, tiger sharks are fundamental in this ecosystem for the control of native species such as dugongs and turtles that are herbivores. Predators, in fact, drive them away towards the aforementioned algae . In this way it has been found that in places where sharks have declined and turtles have begun to eat these algae in excess, an intense release of carbon dioxide has been caused.
Sharks are fundamental predators for the well-being of the aquatic environment and the entire terrestrial ecosystem and without them a series of disorders could occur not only related to the proliferation of invasive or potentially invasive species but also a serious response from an environmental point of view of sight, which would translate into the worsening of the effects of climate change and the collapse of ecosystems that go beyond the marine one.
