We all learned about the food chain in school, but Mufasa from “The Lion King” taught us what we really needed to know: We’re all part of the circle of life, and our actions matter. How we interact with our world ultimately comes back around because we need plants and animals just as much as they need us.
In fact, we need them more. Most life on Earth would get along fine without us, but if these 12 species disappeared, we’d be in serious trouble.
1. Frogs
Their most important job: Pest control and bioindicators
Why Can’t We Live Without Frogs?
Frogs are more than just noisy inhabitants of ponds; they’re vital for controlling insect populations. By eating mosquitoes, flies, and other pests, frogs help reduce the spread of diseases like malaria and dengue fever. This makes them essential for public health.
Frogs are also important bioindicators, meaning their health reflects the overall health of their ecosystem. Because they have permeable skin that absorbs toxins, frogs are often the first to show signs of environmental stress, such as pollution or climate change.
Unfortunately, frogs are at risk due to habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and diseases like the chytrid fungus. Protecting frog populations is crucial for maintaining healthy ecosystems and preventing pest outbreaks.
2. Bats
Their most important job: Bug population control
Why Can’t We Live Without Bats?
Bats have a bad reputation for spreading rabies. If you were taught that bats are scary pests, let’s clear things up. Most bats only eat fruit and insects, and while they can carry rabies, it’s rare. Instead of spreading disease, bats control bug populations.
Their eating habits prevent bugs from destroying crops like mangoes and bananas. Blue agave, used to make tequila, would also be in trouble without bats. Replacing bats with insecticides would harm both the environment and the economy.
Bats also help bees with pollination. Their presence indicates a healthy ecosystem. If they’re gone, it’s time to worry. Scientists are working with local authorities in areas where bat populations are struggling to rebuild habitats and reduce threats like wind turbines.
3. Springtails
Their most important job: Recycling plant matter
Why Can’t We Live Without Springtails?
Springtails are tiny critters with a big job. In the human world, when someone or a pet dies, we handle their remains in a sanitary way. In nature, decomposing isn’t gross; it’s essential. Dead plants and animals release nutrients back into the soil, becoming part of the food chain again.
Springtails help break down leaf litter, contributing to about 20 percent of its decomposition. This supports healthy forests, which house most of our planet’s biodiversity, except for ocean life.
Right now, springtails are widespread, but if global warming continues to rise, that could change.
4. Bees
Their most important job: Pollination
Why Can’t We Live Without Bees?
You know that Cards Against Humanity card that reads, “Bees?” The game creators were onto something. Bees are crucial to solving many environmental problems. They’re at the center of every healthy ecosystem on land, and without them, we’d struggle to find food.
About 70 percent of the crops humans rely on wouldn’t exist without bees. Our use of pesticides has severely threatened bee populations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers 156 bee species as vulnerable, 20 as endangered, and 11 as critically endangered.
There are over 20,000 species of bees, so it’s not all doom and gloom. However, it’s a warning sign that we need to be more mindful of our actions before it’s too late.
5. Cyanobacteria
Their most important job: Supporting plant life
Why Can’t We Live Without Cyanobacteria?
Cyanobacteria are found almost everywhere. They sometimes make the news for causing dangerous algae blooms. During a bloom, high bacteria levels can make swimmers sick if they swallow water.
The problem isn’t cyanobacteria itself, but a lack of balance. Cyanobacteria support ocean plant life. It’s only a problem when human-made fertilizers enter our waterways, causing rapid population explosions. With so much cyanobacteria around, the water’s oxygen levels drop, devastating ecosystems where blooms occur.
6. Coral Reefs
Their most important job: Protection of coastlines and food production
Why We Can’t Live Without Coral Reefs?
Contrary to popular belief, corals are animals, not plants. Reefs are stunning to visit, but losing them would devastate more than just tourism. They act as barriers, preventing storms from eroding coastlines and protecting homes and cities from flooding. Losing them would hurt the economy first, but it would get worse from there.
Coral reefs are vital to local ecosystems, providing shelter for thousands of ocean species. Without them, our food supply would suffer. Coral is also used to produce medications, including antiviral drugs and an anti-cancer agent.
Global warming and sea level changes are already threatening coral reefs worldwide, with about 25 species of coral currently at risk.
7. Earthworms
Their most important job: Soil enrichment
Why Can’t We Live Without Earthworms?
If you ever feel unimportant, remember that earthworms are a big deal. They spend their lives eating and pooping, but they aerate the soil and spread organic material and minerals to support healthy plants.
Our food supply would struggle without worms. They might seem plentiful when they show up on the sidewalk after rain, but our overuse of fertilizers has increased soil acidity. Reduced pH soil makes it harder for worms to reproduce. We need to change our farming practices while we still can.
8. Ants
Their most important job: Soil aeration and nutrient cycling
Why Can’t We Live Without Ants?
Ants might be tiny, but they play a massive role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. They aerate the soil as they tunnel through it, helping plants get the oxygen they need. Ants also contribute to nutrient cycling by breaking down organic material and spreading seeds. Some plants even rely entirely on ants to disperse their seeds, a process called myrmecochory.
Additionally, ants help control pest populations by preying on other insects. Without ants, our ecosystems would be less balanced, and plant growth could suffer. While ants are generally safe from extinction, habitat destruction and pesticide use can threaten their populations locally.
9. Menhaden
Their most important job: Algae bloom prevention
Why Can’t We Live Without Menhaden?
Menhaden may seem ordinary, but they’re incredibly important. They provide food for animals higher up the food chain and eat oceanic algae, helping prevent harmful algae blooms.
They’re threatened because of overfishing. Reducing menhaden populations to dangerously low levels risks the balance of the delicate food chain they’re part of. We need to stop overfishing to protect them.
10. Sharks
Their most important job: Population control
Why Can’t We Live Without Sharks?
Love ’em or hate ’em, we need sharks. They’re terrifying, sure, but nature isn’t neat and tidy. Sharks play a crucial role in the food chain. Without them, smaller animals like shellfish might go extinct because sharks keep seal populations in check. This would cause a ripple effect, leading to mass die-offs of otters, seals, and many fish due to food scarcity. Eventually, it would impact us, collapsing fisheries in a few years.
Apex predators are important, even if we’d rather avoid them. Sadly, rising ocean temperatures and human activities have hurt shark populations, with many species now vulnerable or endangered.
Apex predators are important, even if we’d rather avoid them. Sadly, rising ocean temperatures and human activities have hurt shark populations, with many species now vulnerable or endangered.
11. Phytoplankton
Their most important job: Oxygen production
Why We Can’t Live Without Phytoplankton?
If you like breathing, thank phytoplankton! These microscopic organisms produce more oxygen than all the Earth’s forests combined, generating about two-thirds of the atmospheric oxygen we need to breathe.
Since 1900, however, the planet has been losing one percent of its phytoplankton population per year. Climate change is likely to blame, with fewer phytoplankton in warmer ocean areas. We need to address this issue to prevent a dire future.
12. Fungi
Their most important job: Supporting the food chain
Why We Can’t Live Without Fungi?
When we say fungi, mushrooms probably come to mind. But fungi come in many forms, and life on Earth would be chaotic without them. Like springtails and earthworms, fungi help move nutrients through the food chain via soil. They’re nature’s composting system.
Fungi also help produce medications, including antibiotics, cholesterol medication, immunosuppressants, and anticancer drugs. Unfortunately, many species are at risk due to agriculture and pollution.
Becky is a fervent wildlife enthusiast and pet care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. Her love for animals stretches beyond the domestic, embracing the wild tapestry of global fauna. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to OutlandishOwl through insightful articles, captivating wildlife information, and invaluable guidance on pet nutrition. Her work embodies a deep commitment to understanding the intricate lives of animals and a passion for educating others on sustaining natural habitats. Becky's hands-on conservation efforts and her knack for translating complex dietary science into practical pet feeding tips make her an indispensable voice for creatures great and small.
