Question

The image shows a food web in a marsh ecosystem.

In this ecosystem, pollution and human activities have caused a rapid decrease in the population of eagles. At the same time, a virus has caused the population of rabbits to decline. Based on this information, what changes are most likely to occur in the ecosystem?

A.) The population of frogs will decrease because of increased predation by snakes.

B.) The population of storks will increase because of decreased competition with eagles.

C.) The population of gnats will decrease because of a decrease in the amount of grass available.

D.) The population of grass will decrease because of increased predation by rabbits.

E.) The population of snakes will increase because of decreased predation by eagles.

Answer 1

A.) The population of frogs will decrease because of increased predation by snakes. and E.) The population of snakes will increase because of decreased predation by eagles.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

Answer: E.) The population of snakes will increase because of decreased predation by eagles.

A food chain is a linear sequence of transfer of food and energy, when one organism is consumed by another organism in an ecosystem. The energy is distributed among various trophic levels of the food chain. The organisms in the higher trophic levels consume organisms in the lower trophic levels.

In the given situation, the decline in the eagle population due to human activities and pollution will increase the population of the organisms lying in the lower trophic levels such as stock and snakes which the eagle used to obtain as a source of food.