Protecting Sharks
Link: https://phys.org/news/2022-09-sharks-doesnt.html
An example of networks in the natural world is food webs. These food webs represent the “who-eats-whom” relationships among the species in an ecosystem, where the nodes are a species and the edge from, let’s say node A to node B, show that A members consume B members. When we understand this form of networking in the natural world, we can see the different influences on species when another species might experience change. Our reasoning for issues such as cascading extinctions can be stronger by observing such networks. Networking is all about the relations/connections (edges) from thing to thing (nodes), and if one thing is influenced, there is a high chance that those connected are also impacted.
Let’s take sharks for example. Many fear these creatures, but they are actually some of the most ecologically important and most threatened animals on Earth. “Up to one-third of all known species of sharks and their relatives, rays, are threatened with extinction”. Shark loss means disruptions in coastal food webs that humans rely on for food. Shark are predators, so they sit at the top of the food chain. When such species are lost, the entire food web is disrupted as the prey repopulate faster than ever. However, there are things we can do to help prevent this important network from breaking down. If we eliminate the thing endangering the top node, sharks, then we can balance out the rest of the network, since everything is connected. Unsustainable overfishing is the biggest problem for sharks. By avoiding seafood produced by harmful fishing methods, we can help stop the destructive fishing methods and rates of bycatching.