If These 10 Species Go Extinct, We’re Screwed

If bees go, we all go. Some of these critters might seem like pests, but humans need them to survive.

We all learned about the food chain in school, but Mufasa taught us what we really needed to know: We’re all part of the circle of life, and our actions make a difference. The way we interact with our world ultimately comes back around because we need plants and animals just as much as they need us.

More, actually. Most life on Earth would be just fine without humanity. Us, on the other hand? If just these 10 species went extinct, we’d be in serious hot water.

10. Springtails

Springtails, Order Collembola. Group under the bark.

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Their most important job: Recycling plant matter

Safe or at risk: Safe

Why We Can’t Live Without Springtails

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Springtails are tiny little critters with a big job to do. In the human world, when a person or a pet dies, their remains are taken care of in a very sanitary, controlled way. In nature, decomposing isn’t disgusting, but necessary. The nutrients from dead plants and animals are released back into the soil to once again become part of the food chain.

Springtails are beneficial arthropods that help break down leaf litter. About 20 percent of leaf litter decomposition is credited to these minuscule animals, supporting healthy forests that house the majority of our planet’s biodiversity, ocean life aside.

For now, springtails are widespread, but if global warming continues to escalate, that may change.

9. Sharks

Japanese Freediver and Shark Embrace the Deep Blue on a Sunny Day

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Their most important job: Population control

Safe or at risk: At risk

Why We Can’t Live Without Sharks

a large shark and a group of small fish swimming together

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Love ’em or hate ’em, we need sharks. Sure, they’re terrifying, but nature isn’t as neat and tidy as we’d like it to be. If hurricanes and earthquakes haven’t shattered the illusion of control we have, here’s a reminder.

If sharks went extinct, it would set off a chain reaction. Sharks play an important role in the food chain. Smaller animals like shellfish may go extinct if there were no sharks to eat seals, for example. That would create a ripple effect, causing mass die-offs of otters, seals and many types of fish due to food scarcity. The chain reaction would continue until its effects were felt on land, with fisheries collapsing in a matter of years.

Apex predators are important, even if we’d prefer never to cross paths with one. Unfortunately, rising ocean temperatures and human behavior have taken a toll on shark populations, with several species already on the vulnerable or endangered list.

8. Coral Reefs

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Their most important job: Protection of coastlines and food production

Safe or at risk: At risk

Why We Can’t Live Without Coral Reefs

Abundance of Life on the Colorful Deep Reef of Batu Kapal, Banda Sea, Indonesia

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Contrary to popular belief, corals are animals, not plants. Reefs are gorgeous to visit, but losing them would devastate more than just the tourism industry. They serve as a barrier to prevent storms from eroding coastlines, protecting homes and cities from flooding or collapsing. Losing them would first mean a hit to the economy, but it would only get worse from there.

Coral reefs are critical to local ecosystems, providing shelter to thousands of oceanic species. Without them, our food supply would take a hit. 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 around the world, with about 25 species of coral currently at risk.

7. Cyanobacteria

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Their most important job: Supports plant life

Safe or at risk: Safe

Why We Can’t Live Without Cyanobacteria

Swirling green and blue algae (Cyanobacteria) on a lake filled with thick green water surrounded by trees on a clear blue sky

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Cyanobacteria can be found practically everywhere. They occasionally make an appearance on the evening news when they cause dangerous algae blooms. During a bloom of cyanobacteria, the high levels of bacteria can make swimmers ill if they swallow water.

The problem isn’t cyanobacteria itself, however, but a lack of balance. Cyanobacteria is necessary to support ocean plant life. It’s only a problem when human-made fertilizers are released into our waterways causing rapid population explosions. With so much cyanobacteria hanging around, the water’s oxygen saturation drops dangerously low, devastating ecosystems where blooms occur.

6. Earthworms

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Their most important job: Soil enrichment

Safe or at risk: At risk

Why We Can’t Live Without Earthworms

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If you ever feel like you’re not interesting enough to matter, remember that ordinary earthworms are kind of a big deal. They spend their entire lives just eating and pooping, but they aerate the soil and help spread organic material and minerals to support healthy plant life.

Our food supply would struggle if crops couldn’t rely on worms. They might seem plentiful when they show up on the sidewalk after a heavy rain, but our over-reliance on fertilizers has led to increasing soil acidity. Reduced pH soil makes it harder for worms to reproduce. If we want worms to keep helping us out, we better switch up our farming practices while we still have the chance.

5. Bats

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Their most important job: Bug population control

Safe or at risk: At risk

Why We Can’t Live Without Bats

Flying Fruit Bat Against The Sun Wide Spread Wings

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Bats have an unfortunate reputation for spreading rabies. If you’re in the club that was taught that bats were scary pests that suck your blood, let’s clear a few things up. The majority of bats only eat fruit and insects, and while it’s possible for them to carry rabies, it’s uncommon. Instead of spreading disease, bats are busy keeping bug populations in check.

Their snacking habits prevent bugs from destroying crops we love, like mangoes and bananas. Blue agave also would be in trouble without bats, so not even tequila would be safe. The cost of replacing bats with insecticides would be crushing, both to the environment and the economy.

Bats also give bees a hand with pollination duties. If bats are around, it’s a sign of a thriving ecosystem. If they’re not, start worrying. Scientists are teaming up with local authorities in areas where bat populations are struggling to help rebuild habitats and reduce the threats of unnatural hazards, like wind turbines.

4. Menhaden

Menhaden Pogy Fish Swarm Padanaram Harbor Dartmouth Massachusetts

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Their most important job: Algae bloom prevention

Safe or at risk: At risk

Why We Can’t Live Without Menhaden

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Menhaden, the average Joe of fish species, doesn’t look like much, but they’re incredibly important. They act as a source of food for animals higher up on the food chain and they nibble on oceanic algae. This helps avoid those harmful algae blooms that we mentioned earlier, keeping the ecosystem functioning as it should.

They’re only threatened because humans can’t quit being greedy. Overfishing can reduce the population of menhaden fish to dangerously low levels, risking the balance of the delicate food chain they’re a part of. If we could just stop, that would be great.

3. Fungi

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Their most important job: Supporting the food chain

Safe or at risk: Safe

Why We Can’t Live Without Fungi

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When we say fungi, mushrooms are probably the first thing that comes to mind. Fungi come in many forms, however, and life on Earth would be a train wreck without them. Like springtails and earthworms, this amazing kingdom helps move nutrients back through the food chain via soil. They’re like the world’s natural composting system.

If that’s not enough to convince you ‘shrooms matter, they also help produce medications, including antibiotics, cholesterol medication, immunosuppressants and anticancer drugs. Sadly, many species are at risk due to the agricultural industry and pollution.

2. Phytoplankton

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Their most important job: Oxygen production

Safe or at risk: At risk

Why We Can’t Live Without Phytoplankton

Detailed view of texture of green seaweed under river water

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Do you like breathing? Try phytoplankton! These microscopic organisms are responsible for more oxygen production than all of the Earth’s forests combined, generating about two thirds of the atmospheric oxygen in the world. Like, the stuff we need to not suffocate.

Since 1900, however, the planet has been losing one percent of its population of phytoplankton per year. Climate change is likely to blame, because fewer phytoplankton are measured in areas of elevated ocean temperature. Unless we want life on Earth to start looking like something out of an apocalyptic thriller, we better get our s**t together.

1. Bees

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Their most important job: Pollination

Safe or at risk: At risk

Why We Can’t Live Without Bees

Bees on a honeycomb with the setting sun

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You know that Cards Against Humanity card that reads, “Bees?” Maybe the makers of the game were onto something. These insects are a good answer to a lot of environmental problems. They’re found at the center of every healthy ecosystem on land and without them, we’d be hard-pressed to find a good meal.

About 70 percent of the crops humans rely on wouldn’t exist without bees. Our use of pesticides has threatened bee populations to a concerning degree. The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently considers 156 species of bees as vulnerable, 20 as endangered and 11 as critically endangered.

There are over 20,000 species of bees, so it’s not as dire as it sounds. Nevertheless, it’s a warning sign that we need to be more conscious of how our actions impact the world around us before it comes back to sting us.