Do You Know That?

Do you know that Sharks are important to our ecosystem? Well, we might have heard the phrase that Sharks are important, Sharks have been swimming the world’s oceans for more than 400 million years — 100 million years before the first dinosaurs appeared on land. But today, shark populations are being decimated by commercial fishing, putting some species in danger of extinction. 

Sharks act as scavengers, preying upon dead or sick animals and they act as apex predators by controlling populations of species as it reduces infectious diseases and the spread of them. In the long run, the surviving population will be overall healthier. 

They maintain species diversity by preying upon the most available species. They act as crowd control to help maintain the balance of the ecosystem. Sharks also act as food sources for other sharks and killer whales. Without sharks, the balance of the ocean will topple, creating a devastating effect.

Sharks control species population which feeds on phytoplankton. Despite the shark population declining, there will be a gradual decrease in phytoplankton, thereby impacting oxygen levels in oceans. On Earth, oxygen is very much dependent on ocean oxygen. If we neglect this reality, then we will bring death to Earth.

Sharks have not all been in one place all their lives. In fact, many shark species experience long migrations, such as whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), which are popular for showing up at various locations around the world when zooplankton blooms occur. Shark migration also helps to shift nutrients from various parts of the oceans mainly by excretion of the nutrients. Yup, poop. So if you think about it, it makes sense that for their respective environments their poop works like a kind of fertilizer. 

Most sharks are highly mobile and so if they eat at one location and then go and poop at another location, that brings nutrients from that original location to a new location that may not have those nutrients.

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