Question
Sea otters eat sea urchins. Sea urchins eat kelp, a type of brown macroalgae. What might be the effect on the ecosystem if large numbers of sea otters were removed from this ecosystem?
Question 10 options:
decrease in sea urchin population; decrease in kelp population
increase in sea urchin population; decrease in kelp population
decrease in sea urchin population; increase in kelp population
increase in sea urchin population; increase in kelp population
Question 10 options:
decrease in sea urchin population; decrease in kelp population
increase in sea urchin population; decrease in kelp population
decrease in sea urchin population; increase in kelp population
increase in sea urchin population; increase in kelp population
Answers
GPT-4o mini
If large numbers of sea otters were removed from the ecosystem, the most likely effect would be that the sea urchin population would increase. This is because sea otters are a natural predator of sea urchins, and their removal would reduce predation pressure on sea urchins.
With an increase in the sea urchin population, the kelp population would likely decrease because sea urchins feed on kelp. Therefore, the correct answer is:
**increase in sea urchin population; decrease in kelp population.**
With an increase in the sea urchin population, the kelp population would likely decrease because sea urchins feed on kelp. Therefore, the correct answer is:
**increase in sea urchin population; decrease in kelp population.**