Ecological trap

Ecological trap is a situation in nature where animals are lured into places that are actually harmful to them. Let's say there is a bird that has evolved to lay its eggs in the same kind of plants every year. But sometimes, humans or animals create a new type of plant that looks and smells like the familiar plant, but it can't properly support the bird and its eggs. The unsuspecting bird starts laying eggs in the new plant, but the eggs don't hatch properly and the baby birds don't survive. This is because the bird has fallen into the trap of the new plant that is actually harmful to its survival.

Ecological traps can cause big problems for animals because they can lead to a decline in the population of a species. Examples of ecological traps in the animal kingdom include birds nesting near roads or in buildings that are exposed to predators, or fish getting caught in man-made structures like reservoirs or damns.

It's important that scientists and humans try to identify ecological traps and look for ways to avoid them. By protecting the habitats that animals have evolved to live in, we can help them survive and ultimately, maintain a healthy ecosystem.