Final answer:
The false statement about the Black Sea is that native predators regulate the sea comb population. This is incorrect as environmental challenges and human activity have led to imbalances in marine populations and a decline in the effectiveness of native predators. Option C. Native predators regulate the sea comb population is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Black Sea is a unique body of water that faces environmental challenges, often combined with issues of overfishing and pollution. In answering the question, "Which statement about the Black Sea is false?" we examine the provided options:
- A. Because it is nearly land-locked, it exchanges little of its water with other ocean waters.
- B. Only the top layer (about a tenth of its average depth) contains oxygen.
- C. Native predators regulate the sea comb population.
- D. The state of its ecosystem improved between the early 1990s and the late 1990s.
All of these statements address different aspects of the Black Sea's environment, but the false statement among them is C. Native predators do not regulate the sea comb population. The Black Sea has suffered from environmental challenges and increased pollution, leading to changes in the ecosystem that are not properly managed by native predators. Issues such as the removal of predatorial fish through overfishing and inadequate law enforcement on fishing regulations have caused imbalances in marine populations. Thus, option C is the incorrect statement.