Mesopredator Release
When dominant competitors are removed from markets (through regulation, failure, or exit), mid-tier competitors may become more aggressive than the original dominant player.
In systems with top predators and smaller mesopredators (mid-level carnivores), top predators often suppress mesopredators through killing or intimidation. When top predators are removed, mesopredators increase, sometimes causing more prey mortality than when top predators were present.
Coyotes suppress smaller predators (foxes, raccoons, skunks) through direct killing and territoriality. When coyotes are removed (often by humans attempting to protect livestock), fox and raccoon populations explode, causing increased predation on ground-nesting birds and small mammals. This mesopredator release can be more harmful to prey than original top predator presence.
Business Application of Mesopredator Release
When dominant competitors are removed from markets (through regulation, failure, or exit), mid-tier competitors may become more aggressive than the original dominant player. Market fragmentation following monopoly breakup can increase competitive intensity rather than reduce it, as multiple aggressive competitors replace one restrained dominant firm.