word
trophic cascade
TROH-fik kah-SKAYD
ˈtroʊfɪk kæˈskeɪdListen
Hear it in a clear American voice. Slow it down to catch each syllable.
Syllable breakdown
trophiccascade
Dictionary meaning
a series of indirect ecological effects triggered when predators suppress the population or behaviour of their prey, thereby releasing lower trophic levels from pressure in a chain reaction that ripples through an entire ecosystem; the classic example is the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone, which reduced elk browsing pressure and allowed riverbank vegetation to recover, stabilising stream banks and altering river geomorphology in a process known as a trophic cascade that changed the physical landscape
Learn one new pronunciation a day
Get a word, name or idiom like “trophic cascade” in your inbox — daily or weekly, free. Unsubscribe any time.
Something wrong? Suggest a correction