A biologist is studying three species of small fish (sp 1, sp 2, and sp 3) that cling to the bodies of bigger fish and consume parasites on the larger fish. He conducts an experiment with three treatments. In each treatment, he removes a different one of the small fish species from a large fish and examines the number offspring produced by the large fish. Which of the following conclusions are supported by the data shown in the figure?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The data shows that the removal of Species 3 leads to a significant decrease in the number of offspring produced by the large fish. This suggests that Species 3 is a mutualist, benefiting the large fish by consuming parasites on their bodies. The data does not provide evidence to support the mutualistic relationship of Species 1 or 2 with the large fish.

A Biologist Is Studying Three Species of Small Fish (Sp