Lionfish, indigenous to the Indian Ocean, have been found in the Atlantic Ocean since their accidental release in the late 20th Century. These fish feed on the same species as local snapper and grouper. They can also impact coral reef ecosystems by consuming herbivores, which keep the algae populations in check. Which statement explains why the lionfish populations continue to increase in the Atlantic and the impacts of the lionfish on marine ecosystems continue to be observed?
A) Lionfish have no natural predators in the Atlantic, so there is a lack of population control for these fish.
B) Lionfish have a narrow range of temperature tolerance and salinity, so they only reproduce exponentially in the Atlantic.
C) Lionfish have symbiotic relationships with coral reef species that increase the populations of native and invasive species.
D) Lionfish migrate to the aphotic zone of the ocean to spawn, which has no light and reduces the visibility of the eggs for parasites.

The description in the question tells that the lionfish is not a native in the Atlantic ocean. As a result, it does not have many predators in that ocean to keep a balance on the population of the lionfish species. As a result, the population of the lionfish increases as it has an abundant supply of preys but not enough predators which will feed on it. Hence, the population of the lionfish continues to increase in the Atlantic.

ryv5mbgu8n ryv5mbgu8n · Answer 2 · 2022-05-12T05:47:23+02:00

Answer: the correct answer is below

Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific region. However, a hurricane caused six fish from an aquarium to accidentally be swept out into the Atlantic Ocean. Female lionfish produce thousands of eggs at a time, which has allowed their population to rapidly increase in the Atlantic. There’s no firm estimate of the number of lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean right now. However, it might be as many as 375 to 1,000 lionfish per acre of ocean. These fish have predators such as sharks and scorpion fish in their natural habitat. However, they don’t have many natural predators in the Atlantic Ocean, where the typical predatory animals don’t seem to recognize lionfish as food. Their one predator is humans, who have recently started fishing them for food. In the Atlantic Ocean, algae and seaweed are producers. Small fish, crabs, and other crustaceans make up the first and secondary consumers. Sharks and orcas are some of the larger predators, which are also consumers. Bacteria and fungi are the decomposers that break down food. Lionfish are consumers because they eat fish and small crustaceans.

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