I have copied and pasted the original instructions for this discussion post and

I have copied and pasted the original instructions for this discussion post and also I have copied and pasted two of my peers original posts that I need to respond to.
Apex Predators
A commonly used term for predators at the top of the food web, with no natural enemies, is “apex predators.” Many species of sharks are apex predators, and for many people they are the perfect example of a predator. However, over the last few decades, the number of sharks has declined due to hunting and other human activities. How has this affected other species in marine food webs? This discussion will help succeed in this course by helping you understand key features of the aquatic biome, and the role of apex predators in the movement of energy through food chains.
Read the following website at the Shark Research and Conservation Program at the University of Miami. Then address the following questions in your initial post.
Ruling from the top-down: Sharks as Apex Predators and the Need for Better Management

Ruling from the top-down: Sharks as Apex Predators and the Need for Better Management

What is the difference between direct and indirect effects of predators on prey? Which do you think is more important? Why?
What is meant by a trophic cascade? Explain the example given on the website.
Do you think more effort should be put into the conservation of sharks? How do you think most people feel about sharks? Would they agree with you?
PEER 1:
Prey is directly affected by predators by being eaten and indirectly by changing their behaviors. Eating prey and changing their behavior can also affect other animals in the ecosystem. I think the more important one is the direct effect because it not only changes the population but without eating each other overpopulation could end up being a problem. The prey and predator relationship helps keep the ecosystem at equilibrium. A Trophic Cascade is when one population of a species changes causing other species populations to change based on the indirect and direct effects on the ecosystem food web. The website gave the example of shark populations decreasing based on overfishing which showed an increase in the population of their prey. This could then cause a ripple effect in the food chain. I think there should be some effort into the conversation of sharks since they are apex predators and play such a crucial role in the ecosystem. I think most people fear sharks based on movies and media they have seen and read about them. I don’t think many would agree based on what little knowledge they know about sharks. Mostly only know how dangerous sharks can be. 
PEER 2:
A direct effect of a predator would be reducing the population of its prey by actually eating them. An indirect effect of a predator would be the fear that is instilled by just their presence in an environment causing the prey to go elsewhere and change their feeding resources which would set off a chain reaction. This could have consequences that would not be seen or felt until the change could not be undone.
A trophic cascade is the collective influence that the direct and indirect effects have on the food web. The example given explains that because there is a decline in certain species of sharks that hunt the cownose ray, the ray population has grown without the sharks to keep it under control. When the rays became abundant then the scallop population suffered because the rays were feeding on all the scallops.  
I think the conservation of sharks is essential for the survival of our oceans and all the species that thrive there. The food web is a very delicate system when a species is removed from it, the consequences trickle down affecting a lot of other species. People feel very scared of sharks so they see them as a danger and as a threat instead of an important piece of a well-worked system. People would agree with me if they were educated on the importance of the situation.