Investigate an extinct species and analyse how its disappearance impacted the organisms that depend on it, and how this affected the ecological balance of the ecosystem.
Fossils are preserved remains of plants and animals found in layers of rocks, sand, and mud, acting as natural records of life. Giant dinosaurs and ancient plants are examples of extinct species whose fossils have been discovered in India.
Each species plays an important role in nature. Plants produce food and oxygen, animals pollinate flowers and disperse seeds, and microorganisms recycle nutrients. This shows how closely linked plants and animals are within an ecosystem.
When an extinct species like an ancient plant disappears, it severely impacts organisms that depend on it. As observed in forests, large birds like hornbills nest only in large, old trees and feed on specific fruits. If these tree species disappeared, the hornbills would lose their homes and food source.
Consequently, the disappearance of one species causes others that depend on it to decline in number and eventually disappear. This disrupts the ecological balance, as the vital roles the species played are lost, ultimately reducing the overall biodiversity of the ecosystem.
Explanation
The answer uses the context's mention of 'giant dinosaurs' and 'ancient plants' as extinct species. It applies the text's principle that 'when one species disappears, others that depend on it may also decline in number and eventually also, disappear.' To illustrate this dependency, it connects the extinction of ancient plants to the hornbill case study provided in the text, where hornbills depend on large, old trees for nesting and specific fruits for food. Finally, it explains the effect on ecological balance by referencing the roles species play (food, oxygen, pollination) and how their loss reduces biodiversity.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify an extinct species from the text (giant dinosaurs/ancient plants).
Step 2: Explain the role of species in nature using the text (food, oxygen, pollination).
Step 3: Analyse the impact of disappearance on dependent organisms using the hornbill-tree dependency example.
Step 4: Conclude how this affects ecological balance by reducing biodiversity and breaking close links.