Question

Look at the diagram above of a marine food web. What might happen to this ecosystem if the non-native populations of smelt and alewife increase greatly?
Question 1 options:


1.The smelt will eat the alewife.


2.The salmon will starve.


3.The smelt and alewife may out-compete the native fish by consuming all of the zooplankton.


4.Nothing should happen to this ecosystem if the populations of smelt and alewife increase greatly.


https://learning.k12.com/content/enforced/355549-COF_ID90293/native%20and%20nonnative%20species%20diagram.JPG?_&d2lSessionVal=rxl7Rt97bvS7kurIszdj3PvgN

Answer 1

The correct answer is 3- The smelt and alewife may out-compete the native fish by consuming all of the zooplankton.

The diagram tells us that zooplankton is eaten by smelts and alewifes. If these two species increase in number, less of the zooplankton will be left for plankton-eating fish, which is a native type of fish, to eat.

smelt and alewife eat most of the existing plankton so, they are out-competing the native fish.

Answer 2

I think it is 3 because I’m not sure of the others