Read the following given examples
(i) Plant – pollinator mutualism
(ii) African catfish in our rivers for aquaculture
(iii) Fish species with its parasites.
(iv) Nile perch and cichlid fish
Which out of these options correctly gives the examples of “Co – extinctions” as a cause of biodiversity loss.
(i), (iii)
If a plant gets extinct then the pollinator mutualistic species also gets extinct because it does not get the nectar to survive. Also, if a fish population becomes extinct, the parasite also that invades the particular fish species will also get extinct. Both of these are examples of co-extinction.
Coextinction refers to the phenomena of the loss or decline of a host species resulting in the loss or endangerment of other species that depend on it, potentially leading to cascading effects across trophic levels.