The Role of Crickets in the Environment
First, crickets help to break down the decay of organic matter and return it back into the soil.
Cricket
All animals, even insects, have a place in the natural order of things, and they all contribute to the environment in their unique way. The cricket is certainly no different, and yet we are often too quick to label it as a pest or nuisance. And as quickly seek to have it removed from our property by any means necessary. However, by understanding the role of the cricket in the environment, it will help to know why they are important in the ecosystem.
By the end of this article, you might be surprised at just how essential crickets are in the world. And hopefully, you will view them in a different light, as long as they don’t start to attack your property or belongings, of course.
The Position of Crickets in the Environment
When we talk about an animal or insect having a role to play in the environment, we mean many different things. That means we need to take into consideration the food source to the way they help the earth around us.
Both of these areas are equally important because they are active in both areas. Looking at an insect, and the way it impacts the world provides us with better insight into how everything works in nature.
If we understand the role that different species play, we can then look at ways to prevent damage, if required. At the same time, we can also know what to leave alone, so that nature can indeed take its course.
First, crickets help to break down the decay of organic matter and return it into the soil. Also, good at adapting to conditions as they can survive in many different environments. You can find them in grasslands to marshes by the sea and even in forests.
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Crickets are playing a useful role everywhere, and the majority of people are unaware of it all.
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This is because of the way in which they like dried organic matter. By the time crickets get to it, it has already entered into the decomposition chain of events. However, the cricket is just able to speed things up quite considerably since they munch away on it.
Afterward, with the material then passing through their body, it is then being deposited back into the ground. In other words, it is an insect that helps natural processes move along faster than they would have otherwise.
Spider Cricket
The Food Chain
Another key area is where the cricket sits in the food chain. This all links into one another in some way, and it helps to keep nature ticking over time, and everything able to survive together.
Remember that crickets can eat both plants as well as animals. So they are effectively able to have a dual purpose when it comes to the food chain. Forget for a moment the way they can destroy crops as we are going to focus on their main diet.
Favorite Food
- Plants such as chicory and ragweed, but all plants in general
- Small fruit, such as berries in the garden
- Seeds lying around, mainly if they have just been planted they can feast during the night
- Other insects, both alive and dead, however, it is not their first choice
- Insects that are weaker than others, including other crickets, a classic example of natural selection where only the strongest survive
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“Crickets can eat both plants as well as animals. So they are effectively able to have a dual purpose when it comes to the food chain.”
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Predators
In nature, there is generally a balance of things. Just as crickets can prey on other insects, they too are seen as prey by other animals and insects out there.
Such is the way of the world, and the cricket is not short of an enemy or two. Just some animals that feed on crickets:
- Most birds are predators, such as hawks
- A wide range of reptiles, including amphibians
- Some mammals, such as the red fox
By acting as a food source, they are firmly lodged in the food chain concept, taking something from others while being the source for other animals or insects further up the food chain.
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Related Article: Interesting Cricket Facts
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Position in the Ecosystem
Crickets are just as important as so many other living species that are out there. They help the environment in some ways, and even though it may sound insignificant to us, without them, the world would indeed be a different place.
Yes, crickets can be a pest that has the potential to destroy so much when they arrive in numbers. But they are only doing the kind of thing that comes naturally to them even though that can result in them being a very real inconvenience.
They are low down on the food scale ladder, but that alone is not enough to completely discredit them at a moments notice. They act as a valuable source of nutrition for so many other animals.
Crickets just disappearing would result in a very noticeable gap in the natural world. So, perhaps give crickets a bit of a break as they are doing their bit for the environment.
Apparently, if they are becoming a pest to you and starting to destroy your property, then it is only right to have them removed by a professional company that will do so without putting you or your family at risk.***
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