Consider a simple food web consisting of plants, aphids, ants, and ladybird beetles. Aphids are herbivores that consume the plants, and ladybird beetles are a predator that eats aphids. The ants obtain nutritious honeydew from the aphids, and in return the ants protect the aphids from predatory insects. What is likely to happen to the ladybird beetles, aphids, and plants if the ants go extinct

Food web

Explanation:

Food web explains the feeding relationship between organisms

The given food web consists of plants, aphids, ants and ladybird beetles Aphids are herbivores which consume plants Ladybird beetles are a predator which eats aphids Ants obtain nutritious honeydew from the aphids and also protect the aphids from predatory insects Mutualism exists between ants and aphids as both are benefited from each other If ants go extinct then aphids population will soon start to diminish because aphids protected the ants and therefore now ladybird beetles will directly attack on aphids If aphids will start to decrease then plants population will increase because if aphids will decrease then they won't be able to consume plants and hence plant population will increase Ladybird beetles act as a predator and will also soon start to diminsh as ants number will decrease then ladybird beetles will soon die due to starvation