ECOLOGICAL ROLE OF SHARKS

Sharks serve as top predators in the food chain, and are not prey to any other creature. This allows them to play the role of regulating the levels of other predators within the ocean. Thus, the endangerment of sharks can potentially threaten the health of marine biodiversity and ecosystem, as a sharp decrease in the population of sharks would result in a spike in the population of other predators in the ocean, in turn causing a rapid decrease in the populations of smaller prey within the ocean. This potentially threatens the biodiversity in the sea, as such a situation would result in large predator populations, and low prey populations. In the long run, with the food supply being eaten up so rapidly by the booming prey population in the sea, the lack of food resources found in the ocean would also cause these prey populations to die off, resulting also in further endangerment of other marine species.