Starting with the overharvesting of plankton-eating whales by humans and ending with the thinning of the kelp forests in the Alaska near-shore community,which one of the following intervening events would have occurred fourth?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The third event in the sequence is the shift in killer whale prey, suggesting a decline in the availability of their previous prey. This is likely due to the decline in sea otter populations, as they are known to regulate sea urchin populations (the next event in the sequence). Therefore, the event that occurred before the sea otter population decline (event A) would be fourth in the sequence. The subsequent events are sea urchin population explosion and the thinning of the kelp forests. The increase in pollock populations and decline in sea lion/harbor seal populations are not directly related to the sequence of events leading to kelp forest thinning.

Starting with the Overharvesting of Plankton-Eating Whales by Humans and Ending