The introduction of a large predatory fish into a lake will lead to declines in the populations of smaller fish; this decrease in the smaller fish will lead to an increase in the plankton on which they feed. This phenomenon is called
A) character displacement.
B) keystone exchange.
C) trophic cascade.
D) primary succession.
E) heterotrophic succession.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The introduction of a predatory fish into a lake causes a trophic cascade, which is the phenomenon whereby the removal or addition of a top predator in an ecosystem leads to changes in the abundance or behavior of other species, ultimately affecting the entire ecosystem. In this case, the introduction of the predatory fish leads to a decline in the population of smaller fish, which in turn leads to an increase in the plankton population as the smaller fish are no longer consuming them, resulting in a trophic cascade.

The Introduction of a Large Predatory Fish into a Lake