#6 Sharks Sharks have existed for 400 million years,
and over that time have evolved with our oceans to be a vital predator at the top of the marine
food web.
Using their predatory prowess, something we’ve now vilified them for, sharks maintain a healthy
fish population by weeding out the sick and the weak, allowing only the strongest to survive
and cutting out the spread of disease.
This is arguably the most important service they provide.
As the biggest baddest fish in the bath, it also falls on them to keep lesser predator
populations in check.
If sharks were to go extinct, these lesser predators would reproduce unopposed, leaving
prey at risk of being overconsumed.
So begins the chain reaction; without prey, the leftover predators will die off themselves
and coral reefs fade away under blooms of algae.
Herbivorous fish usually keep coral clean, but without them, algae can grow, greedily
sucking out oxygen and suffocating the water.
#5 Fungus
Maybe not the sort of fun guy you want at a party, but fungi are much more than the
mold growing in that old yogurt pot in the fridge.
Fungi are responsible for life on our planet as we know it today; without them, we would
not exist.
They work as chemists far beyond the scope of the human race, producing molecules we
have yet to replicate even in a lab.
Their ability to break down seemingly inedible organic matter and transform it into life-giving
nutrients, makes them gatekeepers of our nutrient cycles.
Without them, we would face pile-ups of dead plant matter that would cover vast landscapes
and bury forest floors.
They don’t just all remove waste though, yeast is a fungus, which has afforded humans
the luxury of bread, beer, and wine for thousands of years.
Very little is known about their biology and best estimates suggest that only 5% of species
have been discovered.
Given how crucial that 5% is, it’s best suggested we don’t discover the true scope
of their influence by wiping them out.
#4 Ants They have evolved with the planet from the
time of the dinosaurs, and If humans are the drivers of this planet, then ants are the
treads on its wheels that keep it on track.
Their ability to organize and work in colonies of upwards of a million, has led them to adapt
into builders, pollinators, and effective predators across the world.
There are estimated to be over a quadrillion - or 1 million billion- individual ants, and
thank goodness for that because without them, we’d have some dirty deeds to do.
As decomposers, ants eat and deal with everything we don’t want to, like organic waste, insects,
and dead animals.
Humans may preach “reduce, re-use, recycle”, but ants actually live it successfully.
They recycle organic waste and nutrients back into the soil, which they, in turn, aerate
by digging tunnels.
Ant nests are biodiversity hotspots, as the colony patrols every millimeter of their territory
collecting and spreading nutrients.
Along with properly dealing with waste, ants have figured out another problem humans have
yet to solve: pest control.
You may not like to see the red army march through your home, but ants are equally territorial
and will keep the likes of termites, fleas, and ticks at bay for you.
Whilst we humans may appear to be drunk at the wheel, the hypothetical disappearance
of ants would cause collective environmental chaos.
Plants and vegetation would stop growing in the now, unaerated, imbalanced soil, affecting
EVERY animal species.
And we mean all of them.
#3 Bats Even if you don’t notice them, rest assured
that of the 1200 bat species, they’re working hard as one of our real-life animal protectors.
70% of the world’s bats feast on insects, eating up to 1000 creepy crawlies an hour.
Providing a free and healthy alternative to harmful, chemical pesticides, saving farmers
across the globe billions of dollars in pest control, and our insides from at least some
questionable insecticides.
The stink of it is that even when they’re pooping, bats are still doing their bit.
Bat droppings, or Guano, is a naturally occurring super fertilizer.
Nitrogen phosphate and potassium enriched seeds are spread throughout forests, in their
attempt to restore the deforestation we as humans are so desperate to inflict.
Guano really does sting the nostrils, but it should also be noted for its aid with the
growth of flora, such as agave, which is vital as the base ingredient for tequila!
Most plants require pollination to produce seeds, and as bats from the nectar drinking
family feed, they transfer pollen, germinating as they go.
A healthy bat population is associated with a healthy ecosystem.
If bats were to go extinct, then humans will certainly no longer get to enjoy a variety
of foods, like avocado, bananas, cashews, mangoes, and cocoa to name a few.
Bats are responsible for maintaining over 50% of the world’s rainforests, and without
these winged crusaders, jungles would decrease at an even more alarming rate.
Insect plagues would have free range to ravage the planet, destroying crop after crop, whilst
infections of deadly diseases such as malaria and yellow fever would rapidly increase.
Would we survive without bats?
Maybe, but you would soon miss their unquestionable impact on the biodiversity of the planet we
inhabit.
#2 Bees Bees are a strong contender for being the
most important animal species for the survival of the human race.
As the human population continues to grow, so does its need for more food to feed everyone.
One solution to this has been a marked increase in agricultural demand and crop growing; an
industry carried on the tiny backs of the world's number one pollinators: the bee.
They pollinate a third of the crops humans rely on - and the most interesting ones at
that!
Without bees, you can say goodbye to the plethora of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds that
you see lining our supermarkets today.
There would be a marked decrease in productivity in at least 75% of worldwide crops that give
us humans the variety of nutrients that we need to survive.
Although technology has replaced the jobs of many, honeybees remain the invaluable masters
of pollination.
Honeybees contribute the equivalent of $30 billion to the economy in crops annually and,
despite our best efforts, we as humans do not have the technology to fill that gap.
As part of the base of many ecosystems, their death would, indirectly and directly, cause
a devastating chain reaction affecting all levels of the food chain.
If bees disappear, we may not die of famine, but the planet- and our diet- would be desolate.
#1 Plankton Phytoplankton, a subspecies of the Plankton
family, quite simply put, are the real “lungs” of the earth.
Rainforest conservation is crucial to human survival for future generations, but Phytoplankton
are responsible for 2/3rds of the world’s entire oxygen production right now.
Plankton can be found in almost all sunlit bodies of water, from the frozen arctic circle
to the hottest of hot springs.
Phytoplankton absorb energy from the sun, and take nutrients from the water, for photosynthesis.
These microscopic but mighty bacteria may only be < 1% of the world’s biomass, but
they are producing over 66% of the oxygen the earth requires to breathe easily, both
literally and figuratively.
Plankton, in their various forms, sit, or more accurately, drift around at the bottom
of the marine food web.
Their existence provides a base food source for marine life, in salt or freshwater, from
tiny bivalves to the largest of whales, making them a true keystone species.
The smallest of fish would have to find an alternative food source, or most likely perish.
The knock-on effect would be felt across the entire marine food web, including not only
fish, but birds, and many species of mammal.
Homosapiens are already responsible for overfishing of the seas, would this be the final nail
in the coffin?
Yes - but it would come in different stages.
Predators would wipe out prey mercilessly, and without a sustainable food source, the
all-you-can-eat buffet would not last long.
Apex predators would be all that remains, and eventually, they would have to starve
or turn to cannibalism.
Some coral and other sea life may survive, but soon these seemingly empty bodies of water
would be nothing more than that.
Over a longer period of time, the earth’s atmosphere would change making it increasingly
hard to breathe as o2 levels fall and Co2 levels rise.
Would you rather be the last human left on
earth or never be left completely alone ever again?
Let us know in the comments below...