The ocean ecosystem is incredibly diverse

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Question

The year is 1960; tourists from all around the world come to the northwest Pacific coast to view the beautiful Orcas (killer whales). Occasionally one of the tourist boats runs across a pod of 30 Orcas feeding. What an incredible sight! These beautiful, calm marine mammals can turn deadly in a matter of seconds when devouring a 600 pound male sea lion. Only a rare few have witnessed this awesome power first hand.

The ocean ecosystem is incredibly diverse. The sea lions feed on sea urchins and surf perch (a small ocean fish). The sea urchins feed on the many algal blooms in the intertidal zone. The autotrophic algae synthesize their own organic molecules. Further out to sea, the surf perch are busy feeding on krill, a shrimp-like organism that feeds on the ocean's primary producers, phytoplankton. Surf perch that are found close to shore feed off of shrimp, one of the ocean's tastiest scavengers. This ecosystem has remained relatively stable for years.

Flash Forward to the 1980's. Krill is utilized as a protein source for cattle food. Shrimp, as we know, are a food source for humans. The human population continues to increase rapidly. Now, in 1986, we see a huge demand for beef. A new fitness craze professes that more protein and fewer carbohydrates in your diet will help one lose weight and build muscle. (As was typical of the 1980's, people believed anything, but don't we still?) Suddenly, the fishermen are pulling krill out of the ocean by the ton. This over-harvesting continues for many years. Additionally, shrimping increases dramatically.

The protein craze passes, and even though people were eating less beef in the 1990's, the ever-increasing size of the human population keeps the demand for beef relatively high compared to the 1960's. And the beat goes on...

Flash to the distant future. We find ourselves in 2050, looking back at the human population of the 1990's and shaking our heads in sorrow. The story ends here. Your task will be to analyze the information given in this story and the table of data to figure out what happened to the ocean ecosystem as a result of human interference.Create three different food chains from the Orca story, side by side, so they can easily be connected.

Reference no: EM133934585

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