Question

500 points help plz A population of sea urchins in a kelp forest ecosystem is being overfished. A team of students believes that a decline in the number of sea urchins will affect the organisms in the kelp forest ecosystem. The kelp forest food web below shows the relationships among the organisms in the kelp forest ecosystem.
Using at least 3 sentences, explain how each organism in the food web would be affected by a change in the sea urchin population.


You should use scientific vocabulary as well as proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation

Answer 1

Kelp forests decline

Explanation:

• Kelp forests rely on the proper balance of herbivory and predation
• Sea urchins dwell on the seafloor where they forage on macro algae, including giant kelp,if their populations are left unchecked by predation they can prevent kelp from growing which can transform a thriving community of kelp into an oceanic desert, known as an urchin barren
• If there is a decline in sea urchin population then there will be an increase of kelp population because it lost a predator
• The kelp crab will diminish because the sea otters would prey on them more often after losing a food source and the sea otters population will also decrease with time
• The horn sharks will slowly die from the lack of food because sea urchins were their only prey and the northern elephant seals will decline as well because of the death of horn sharks
• Hence, the decline in sea urchin population will upset the entire kelp population