What ecological vulnerability arises from the aardvark's extreme specialization in consuming ants and termites?
Answer
Inherent vulnerability to disruptions in local insect populations.
The aardvark’s profound specialization, while making it unmatched in exploiting its chosen niche and limiting direct competition for its main food, creates a significant ecological trade-off. This hyper-focus means its survival is directly tethered to the stability and availability of ant and termite populations. Any environmental shift, such as climate change affecting the structural integrity of termite mounds or general habitat degradation that diminishes the prey base, poses a direct threat to the aardvark's ability to secure the massive volume of biomass required nightly for sustenance.
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