w-2day6

On the Enderbury Islands in the Pacific nothing lives besides scores of cattle and rabbits. But for the cattle grazing the grass would have grown wild and proved difficult for the rabbits. Here we see how an opportunity has arisen for the rabbits.
‘Survive or perish!’- It would mean creating opportunities as well. In the Arctic tundra the furry lemmings, taking advantage of a plentiful spring breed prodigiously; they stand at the bottom of a precarious food chain, a fact that explains their overpopulation. If not for their bounty, the snowy owls and Arctic foxes would go hungry; Foxes add to their diet waterfowls, presence of which in a way eases the number of lemmings hunted down. The foxes are on the other hand playing it safe by varying their diet.
The snowy owl, each season regulates the brood of chicks it raises, according to the availability of lemmings. Each party in a food chain, the predator and the prey alike, has its power to influence the other.
benny