Question

Which of these illustrates how ocean and land ecosystems are connected?

A.
Marine turtles eat mats of floating algae and are eaten by sharks.


B.
Krill consume phytoplankton that capture energy by photosynthesis.


C.
Decomposers break down the remains of a squirrel and return its nutrients to the soil.


D.
A pelican feeds on ocean fish, and crows eat the pelican’s eggs.

Answer 1

The answer is D. A pelican feeds on ocean fish, and crows eat the pelican’s eggs.

Step-by-step explanation:

D is a perfectly balanced example of ocean and and ecosystems connect. In this case, the pelican feeding on ocean fish is an example of a non-aquatic organism interacting with an aquatic factor of an oceanic ecosystem. Still, both of these are in the same ocean-related environment. Crows eating the pelican's eggs, on the other hand, is an exemplar of a non-aquatic organism interacting with another non-aquatic organism. However, this time, one of the organisms is from an environment directly affiliated with/affected by the ocean, and one that has also recently consumed an organism from an oceanic ecosystem. The other organism is not directly related to any aquatic environment, and instead dwells within a land ecosystem.

Essentially, there is an organism from an ocean ecosystem, a carrier/carriers between the two ecosystems, and an organism from a land ecosystem. The ocean fish are from an ocean ecosystem, the pelican and its eggs are the carrier(s) between the two ecosystems, and the crows are from a land ecosystem.

Here's more proof to further prove my answer:

Answer 2

Letter D is the only option which includes animals from both land and ocean habitats. I believe this one is the answer.