By: Aarya Patil
Plants and animals maintain the health of an ecosystem. And, when species become endangered, it’s a sign that an ecosystem is out of balance. But why does this matter? Well, ecosystems are groups of plants and animals that are found in the same area and interact with each other. These interactions make up and maintain the environments we know today – like rainforests, mountains and savannahs. But the balance within an ecosystem isn’t always easy to maintain: the loss of one species often triggers the loss of others. For example, when grey wolves were hunted to near-extinction in the United States’ Yellowstone National Park, beaver populations also decreased significantly. This happened because elk populations that were usually hunted by wolves, were able to graze freely and more heavily on the plants that were also needed by beavers to survive during winter.
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