Coronavirus, the ‘mesopredator’ tricked the game of numbers may be to save the ecological pyramid

It is quite unnatural for any new species to evolve in this planet by keeping the top predator - man in the ecological pyramid, as its primary target.  Always top down approach is quite unexpected although not impossible and uncommon. 

Equally it is unusual that the top predator shall occupy the dominant position in population abundance also in the ecological pyramid and distributed evenly across the globe, quite powerful and technologically advanced.  Land, air and water are also, man dominates and control the ecosystem.   Such possibility is quite impossible in natural sense, but man alone has broken the ‘evolutionary impossibility’ and has occupied not only the dominant position but also dominant in population abundance.

Man fractured the order of evolution and has the gone to the top of the pyramid in food chain. 

In food chain, always energy transformation from bottom of the pyramid to the top would be the least due to the law of thermodynamics i.e., the energy transferred from bottom of the pyramid to the top shall always come with reduction due to the possible transformation of one energy to another.   Naturally such lower transformation of energy from bottom to the top shall automatically limit the population size of the top predator in every ecological pyramid.  That is how the structure and function of the nature is organized and arranged.

The number of deer or other herbivores animal vis-à-vis the number of lion or tiger in any forest or savannah ecosystem, the deer or herbivore population will outnumber the population of lion or other top predator.   Any new threat when emerges would always affect the numbers; meaning the herbivores animals shall be affected first and not the top predator, mostly due to the effect of number or population size. 

In the case of novel coronavirus, man is the worst victim of the new pathogen.  Ironically the man is the top predator in the food chain in the globe.  Ironically the man is also dominant by numbers or in population size with even distribution across the globe.

The number or the population size of the man only has favoured the new pathogen and hence the virus has targeted the man.  The possibility of such target of the virus must have been an accident and it cannot be considered as a pre-planned or well programmed evolutionary event.  Usually the evolution of any new pathogen would spare the top predator.  But the man has caused great chaos in nature and hence the confused nature would have allowed the evolution of the new pathogen to target man and eliminate him as much as possible. 

The second aspect is that the novel coronavirus is not a true pathogen.  Its role hence can be equated with the role of a mesopredator in the tropic order.  Like fox, wolf and hyena in a lion country, the novel coronavirus also has come as secondary pathogen in the world of Salmonella typhi, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Hepatitis B etc. 

The mesopredators in general can support the predator and also can destroy the predator and can change the order of the ecosystem.  The mesopredators can hunt the prey more effectively than the top predator which the top predator can snatch or scavenge easily.  However the hunt of the mesopredator may not be sufficient for the top predator because the mesopredator can hunt only small to medium sized prey animals.  Similarly the mesopredators can also snatch the hunt of the top predators when the number of the mesopredator is high. 

Look at the scenario of COVID 19.  The multiplication rate of the virus is quite high and the virus also spreads very fast.  But the virus is a secondary pathogen.  Because of the high population abundance and fecundity level of the new virus, it may be threatening the existence of several primary pathogens or else may be demanding its pound of flesh from the host which is already affected or attacked by the primary pathogen. 

Or like the mesopredator, the virus may be targeting the weaker ones (those who suffer from various co-morbidity conditions) in the population because the mesopredators can only hunt the weaker and smaller prey animals. 

The availability of weaker host (people with severe co-morbidities) in human population all over the globe only had made the entry of the mesopredator – novel coronavirus, very scary and deadly but from the evolutionary point of view; it is not unusual or scary.   The population size of man goes in favour of the virus or in other words, advantage coronavirus.

Both the population size and ubiquitous distribution of man alone have supported the virus to choose the man over any other species of life form and the availability of large number of co-morbid people and people with impaired immunity may further supports the stay of the virus in human world, indefinitely. 

Nature has defied its own rule in the case of novel coronavirus only due to the man who first defied the law of nature, law of cybernetics and the ultimate balance of prey-predator equilibrium.   

Novel coronavirus has come more as an accident or a mistake to correct another accident or mistake called man; the over dominance of man on earth.  Lockdown, more tests, quarantine, use of mask, following social distancing etc., are not going to work against the virus but instead only going to work against the man.   

Only way man can escape is to allow the virus to have its day.  Once the evolution realizes the error, may correct the mistake.  But for such auto-correction to happen, man must interact with the virus freely and fairly.  Virus must realize the bitter truth that people care their livelihood the most and hence the scare crow approach of the virus may not work with man. 

Further the dominance of mesopredator – novel coronavirus can be easily limited by the other true pathogens in India through stiff competition.  In US and EU countries such situation may not occur but in India, coronavirus cannot win easily because it has to defeat several other primary pathogens.  In the above competition, we may lose some life which is inevitable and unavoidable.   If we are unwilling to pay the price for our over dominance in the ecosystem, nature may force us to pay and such situation may further worsen our equation with nature. 

Therefore India must forget the virus, must open cautiously and the responsibility to the save life must be left to the individual.  Lockdown, killing the livelihood and economy, destroying the employment opportunity etc., will not help our fight against the new virus. 

Nothing can boost the confidence and health of man like his livelihood and hence government must facilitate man to enhance his livelihood and not push him under quarantine and lockdown. 

The virus has come as an accident and hence let us not makes our nation to celebrate corona jayanthi or corona poornima.  If we let nation to enjoy its freedom, the virus may disappear and a few deaths in any case we cannot either prevent or avoid.  No man has born with the blessings of immortality.  

Death is inevitable, death is certain to man and also to the virus.   Killer and the get killed, both are born to die.