Question

According to the article, what is one way that the loss of biomass on the second or third trophic level, like salmon, might affect a food web's balance?

A. It could put the food web out of balance by eliminating apex predators that keep smaller animals like monkeys, iguanas and ants in check.
B. It could put the food web out of balance by allowing too much photosynthesis to occur, which increases the number of producers and adds biomass to the ecosystem.
C. It could put the food web out of balance by eliminating plants and other producers that are responsible for turning decaying matter into nutrients in the soil.

Answer 1

The decline in biomass at the second or third trophic level, like with salmon, can lead to starvation and death of tertiary consumers and may trigger a cascading effect potentially leading to an ecosystem collapse.

Step-by-step explanation:

The loss of biomass at the second or third trophic level, such as with salmon, can have significant impacts on the food web's balance. For instance, when a key species at the third trophic level diminishes, the tertiary consumers that rely on them as a food source could starve and die out. This disruption at a critical level of the ecosystem could lead to a trophic cascade, where the effects ripple through the food web potentially resulting in the collapse of the entire food web. This is because each trophic level is interconnected, and the loss of a keystone species like salmon not only affects their direct predators but can also impact the structure and function of the entire ecosystem.