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A tardigrade's main competition are nematodes. Nematodes tend to live in many of the same environments as tardigrades and they eat similar things. When nematodes are bigger than the tardigrades around them, they are known to eat the tardigrades,

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Predators: Nematodes, other (larger) tardigrades, mites, spiders, insect larvae, amoebas, and crustaceans

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How would the planet be effected if Tardigrades went extinct?

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How would the planet be effected if Tardigrades went extinct?

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While the planet would not be directly effected if tardigrades went extinct, however, a meteor strike would be the most likely cause of tardigrade extinction. Because they can survive though most stresses, if tardigrades have gone extinct, it is very likely that all other life on earth has gone extinct as well.

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What would happen to its ecosystem if it went extinct

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What would happen to its ecosystem if it went extinct

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If tardigrades went extinct and everything else somehow stayed alive, not too much would change. Because they mostly eat algae and flowering plants, if tardigrades were no longer around there would be less competition for food among the organisms that eat the same things. However, because they are so small and do not have a huge overall impact on their environment, it seems like the change would not be all that noticeable. There would be less competition for food, so there could be a slight increase in the populations that eat algae and flowering plants.

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Tardigrades pierce plant cell walls and suck the juices out of them. The plants they eat include algae, lichens, and moss.
Some species of tardigrades are cannibalistic and eat other tardigrades. Tardigrades also sometimes eat nematodes

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They can be found in almost every habitat all over the world.
-Tardigrades have about 900 different species and they have all been found from icy mountain tops, volcanos, rainforests, swamps and lakes, all the way down to the deep sea

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Traits this species possess that aids in its survival

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Traits this species possess that aids in its survival

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Tardigrades can enter a state of cryptobiosis when the circumstances dictate it. If the environment gets too harsh (extreme cold, lack of food, etc), they enter this state (similar to hibernation) which allows them to slow down their metabolism by 99.99%. They can remain in cryptobiosis for long periods of time (at least 30 years). What protects them from the outside world while they are in cold environments is glycerol, which acts like an antifreeze. To protect their exterior while in cryptobiosis, they secrete trehalose which is a simple sugar that forms a glassy matrix cocoon which acts as a protective shell. Some species of tardigrades can survive very hot conditions by releasing certain proteins that prevent heat warping of their other proteins. So basically, if they have the chance to enter cryptobiosis, they are really hard to kill, however, when not in this state, it is reported that they are very easy to kill.

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No, in fact Tardigrades are not on any endangered species list and have survived five mass extinctions over the course of around a half a billion years.

Due to its special feature that help aid in its survival and the reason why it is so indestructible, tardigrades can withstand almost anything. Females also produce 30 eggs at a time so you won't be seeing any decreases to its population numbers.

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What is the environment in this location?

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What is the environment in this location?

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They are most commonly found on lichens and mosses, but they are just about everywhere.
- Other environments they are found it include:
in soil, leaf litter, dunes, by the sea, in oceans (shallow and deep), lakes, forests, sand dunes, mountain tops,  Antarctic glaciers, and even active lava fields