Question

When a whale carcass sinks to the ocean floor it creates an environment appropriate for succession to happen. How would you explain this phenomenon? The chemical compounds in the whale carcass degrade over time and become fossilized remains that form the ocean floor. The cold water at the ocean depth doesn't allow for the whale carcass to be consumed by other organisms, creating a safe habitat in which organisms can live. The whale carcass breaks down over time because different communities of organisms will feed on the whale for months. The whale carcass is broken down very quickly by a community of fish and bacteria, at the end of which the whale will be completely consumed.

Answer 1

The correct statement is that the whale carcass dissociates down over time as different communities of organisms will feed on the whale for months.

An ecological succession includes an array of modifications in the biotic community with regard to the variations in the non-living elements like availability of sunlight, water, and other elements along with time, unless and until stability is attained by the ecosystem.

When a whale carcass sinks to the floor of the ocean it develops an environment suitable for succession to take place as an ocean floor possess low biological activity prior of the sinking of the carcass into the ocean floor, and as the carcass sinks it achieves high biological activity. Various scavenger organisms and a range of decomposers can feed on the carcass. This will lead to an upsurge in the number of these feeding organisms. Hence, it can be stated that the whale has started the process of succession in the previously less active ocean floor.