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MENTAL MODEL · M2543

Trophic Cascade

Trophic Cascade
SystemsHigh supportComplexity Science
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-28

CORE DEFINITION

Trophic cascades are powerful indirect interactions that can control entire ecosystems, occurring when a trophic level in a food web is suppressed. For example, a top-down cascade will occur if predators are effective enough in predation to reduce the abundance, or alter the behavior of their prey, thereby releasing the next lower trophic level from predation (or herbivory if the intermediate trophic level is a herbivore).

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Trophic cascades are powerful indirect interactions that can control entire ecosystems, occurring when a trophic level in a food web is suppressed. For example, a top-down cascade will occur if predators are effective enough in predation to reduce the abundance, or alter the behavior of their prey, thereby releasing the next lower trophic level from predation (or herbivory if the intermediate trophic level is a herbivore).

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Changes in the abundance of top predators propagate down the trophic levels, altering the populations of plants and herbivores and the structure of the entire ecosystem. The absence of top predators can trigger a chain of imbalances.

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophic_cascadeZH · Explicit
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