Question

A family raises a species of fish in a pond. At the end of each summer, the family sells the fully grown fish. One year, the family notices that the fish are smaller than they had been the previous year. Which statement best explains this observation?(1 point) Responses There was more space in the pond this year than last year. There was more space in the pond this year than last year. The type of fish in the pond this year tended to be smaller than the type of fish last year. The type of fish in the pond this year tended to be smaller than the type of fish last year. There was less food available in the pond this year than last year. There was less food available in the pond this year than last year. There were fewer fish this year than there were last year.

Answer 1

The statement that best explains the observation of the fish being smaller than the previous year is: There was less food available in the pond this year than last year.

This explanation is most relevant because food availability directly affects the growth and size of fish. If there was less food, the fish would not grow as large as they did the previous year when food was presumably more plentiful.