The remarkable complexity of nature's food chains

So you think you understand the food chain? Predators and prey, and their interactions?

At the turn of the 20th century, the top predator in Lake Takvatn was the brown trout. Over-fishing sent its numbers crashing, and it was virtually gone by 1980.

In its place, a smaller fish - the Arctic char ­- was introduced in 1930. Char should make a good meal for trout, so it was surprising that when the trout were reintroduced they failed to flourish despite an abundance of food.

It was only in the 1980s, when the researchers removed over 666,000 char from the lake that the trout started bouncing back. While their prey population fell by 80%, the trout have increased in number by 30 times. The lake's temperature and nutrient levels were mostly constant during this time, so why did the trout do better when they prey was culled?

For the answer, go to the link (Not Exactly Rocket Science). (Photo unrelated, from unknown source).