Final answer:
True, trophic cascades can influence carbon flux and storage as top predators affect herbivore populations and vegetation, which in turn affect carbon dioxide absorption.
Step-by-step explanation:
Trophic cascades can indeed influence rates of carbon flux and storage, making the statement True. Trophic cascades are ecological processes that start at the top of the food chain and work their way down. When a top predator is removed from an ecosystem, it can result in an increase in the population of herbivores, which in turn can lead to overgrazing of vegetation. This can affect the carbon cycle because plants are major carbon sinks, absorbing carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and storing it as biomass. With fewer plants to absorb carbon dioxide, more of it can remain in the atmosphere, affecting carbon flux and potentially contributing to climate change.
Additionally, there is generally less biomass at higher trophic levels. This is because only about 10 percent of the energy at one trophic level is passed on to the next; the rest is lost primarily as heat or in wastes. Therefore, as one moves up the trophic levels, there is less energy available to support organisms, resulting in fewer organisms and less biomass.