Question

It is interesting to compare the current biodiversity of bony fishes in the freshwater and the saltwater environment. What kind of conclusions can you draw from the biodiversity data?

A) Freshwater environments have higher bony fish biodiversity due to stable conditions.
B) Saltwater environments have higher bony fish biodiversity due to larger habitat availability.
C) Bony fish biodiversity is similar in both freshwater and saltwater environments.
D) Bony fish biodiversity is influenced by temperature variations in different aquatic environments.

Answer 1

Conclusion B is correct: Saltwater environments tend to have higher bony fish biodiversity due to larger habitat availability, and both saltwater and freshwater fishes have adaptations for their specific salinity conditions.

Step-by-step explanation:

When comparing the current biodiversity of bony fishes in freshwater and saltwater environments, we can make several observations based on the provided information. Saltwater environments have a larger habitat availability and typically higher salinity levels than freshwater environments. Freshwater environments, which typically contain less than 1% salt, support species that are specialized for these conditions and cannot survive in the higher salinity of marine environments.

Saltwater fishes must spend energy to maintain osmotic balance due to the hypertonic nature of their environment, whereas freshwater fishes live in hypotonic conditions and have adaptations to take in salt and excrete excess water. Marine biomes have more biodiversity due to larger habitat availability and the sheer scope of the oceans compared to freshwater environments. Therefore, conclusion B) 'Saltwater environments have higher bony fish biodiversity due to larger habitat availability' is correct. Additionally, salinity and temperature are important abiotic factors that influence fish biodiversity in different aquatic environments, which is worth considering, as mentioned in conclusion D).