How Are Zebras Important in the Ecosystem?Zebras are a type of mammal called an equid, which is related to a horse. Zebras are recognized for their vividly striped coats. They are very important to their ecosystems, playing the role of a consumer.
Background
An ecosystem is an interdependent web of interactions between animals, plants, bacteria and other matter located in a geographic area. Ecosystems help the flow of energy and the cycling of nutrients and other material.
Zebras are adaptable herbivores that graze on a variety of grasses. This helps wildebeests and gazelles, which feed on the grasses that zebras have clipped shorter.
Zebras also play an important role as a food source for lions and hyenas. In areas where zebra populations have dwindled, lions and hyenas will also suffer.
Excessive cattle grazing, reduced water supplies due to irrigation and hunting have driven one of the three species of zebra, Equus grevyi, nearly to extinction. The World Conservation Union classifies this zebra as an endangered species.
Some African farmers believe zebras are detrimental to their cattle populations. According to a Kenyan rancher saying, "Every zebra costs you two cattle." UC Davis ecologist Truman Young is working on a project to investigate the complex relationship between wildlife and cattle.
