Trophic Cascades

Definition

Trophic cascades are ecological phenomena triggered by changes in top predators' population size that cause ripple effects down through lower levels of the food chain.

Related terms

Food Chain: A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Keystone Species:

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.

Biomagnification: The process by which the concentration of toxic substances increases in each successive link in the food chain.