In Paine's classic study of sea star predation on mussel populations, he showed that in the absence of sea stars, experimental plots lost approximately half of the sessile invertebrate species usually present.This result suggests that

Question

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Paine's study demonstrates that the presence of predators (sea stars) can control prey density and thus maintain community species diversity. The loss of half of the sessile invertebrate species in the absence of sea stars suggests that the sea stars play an important role in regulating the populations of their prey and preventing monopolization of space and resources by certain species. This is an example of the trophic cascade effect, where the removal of a top predator can lead to significant changes in the abundance and diversity of lower trophic levels. Option A is not supported by the information provided in the question since the study focused on the effects of sea stars, not mussels, on community diversity. Option B is incorrect because the loss of half of the species in the absence of predators suggests that high prey density is not necessary to maintain diversity. Options D and E are also incorrect since there is no evidence to suggest that certain sessile invertebrate species can survive only in the presence of mussels or sea stars.

In Paine's Classic Study of Sea Star Predation on Mussel