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?

A.
The salmon will starve.
B.
The smelt will eat the alewife.
C.
Nothing should happen to this ecosystem if the populations of smelt and alewife increase greatly.
D.
The smelt and alewife may out-compete the native fish by consuming all of the zooplankton.

Answer 1

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

Step-by-step explanation:

When non-natives start to use up all of the resources in an ecosystem, they may not leave enough resources for the native species to use. This will cause the native species to decrease in population.

Answer 2

The salmon will not starve as its prey increased.

The smelt is not the predator of the alewife.

The answer is D.