Question

In an ecosystem, marsh snails feed on phytoplankton and painted turtles feed on marsh snails. Pollution has resulted in the depletion of phytoplankton. What effect would this situation likely have on the populations of marsh snails and painted turtles?

Answer 1

The population would decrease because the food chain has been disrupted at the bottom

Answer 2

Answer:

The populations of marsh snails and painted turtles will be depleted in size.

Explanation:

The given food chain is:

phytoplankton-----> marsh snails ---->painted turtles.

Since pollution has resulted in the depletion of phytoplankton, marsh snail population will be reduced in size due to unavailability or scarcity of their food  (phytoplankton). Similarly, the reduced population size of marsh snail would result in food scarcity for painted turtles. Therefore, the population size of painted turtles would also be reduced.