2007-03-07 10:08:19 · 2 answers · asked by c rod 1 in Social Science ➔ Anthropology
Ah, they are what we look forward to seeing, and what we look down to in kicking over a log.
They are at the bottom of the food chain, and we can see who we are through them.
If we kill them, it makes us weak....
2007-03-07 15:59:27 · answer #1 · answered by Santa Barbara 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are a "bottom of the food chain" critter. They eat decomposing wood and leaves and then are eaten by birds, animals, and my cat, Socrates. Things at the bottom of the food chain are vital, because things that eat them are eaten by other things up to the big predators, so if the bottom the chain goes, no food!
They are also a sentinel species- if they die out in an area, other things will follow, and since many of the subspecies are very specific as to where they will live, if the subspecies in an area changes, that is very telling.
They are also isopods. In terms of critters, isopod have us all beat, being terribly successful both in the water and on the earth, underground and above ground, and in all types of environments.
2007-03-08 04:15:48 · answer #2 · answered by LabGrrl 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋