If the flow of energy in an arctic ecosystem goes through a simple food chain, perhaps involving humans, starting from phytoplankton to zooplankton to fish to seals to polar bears, then which of the following could be TRUE?

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To evaluate what could be true in a simple arctic food chain proceeding from phytoplankton to zooplankton to fish to seals to polar bears, we must apply general ecological patterns such as energy transfer efficiency and biomass distribution across trophic levels.
Option a: 'Polar bears can provide more food for humans than seals can.' In practice, apex predators like polar bears are typically less abundant and have lower biomass compared to prey species such as seals, so their overall food provisioning to humans is unlikely to exceed that of seals. This makes the statement dubious given energy transfer and prey availability considerations.
Option b: 'Seal populations are larger than fish populations.' Within a simple chain, there are many more small, rapidly reproducing fish than larger, slowly reproducing seals. Biomass and population sizes usually decline with each successive trophic level due to energy losses, so seals being more numerous than fish is inconsistent with standard ecological energetics.
Option c: 'Seal meat probably contains the lowest concentrations of fat-soluble toxins.' Toxin concentrations tend to biomagnify up the food chain. Higher trophic levels (seals, then polar bears) generally accumulate higher toxin levels than primary consumer level fish. Therefore, this claim contradicts the typical pattern of biomagnification.
Option d: 'Fish can potentially provide more food for humans than seal meat.' Given the energy transfer up the chain is most efficient at the lower trophic levels and fish are more abundant and accessible as a catch for humans compared with seals, it is plausible that fish could contribute more edible energy to humans than seal meat in this simple chain. This aligns with ecological expectations about biomass flow and human use of reef/sea fish compared with higher-level predators.
Option e: 'The total biomass of the fish is lower than that of the seals.' In a straightforward energy pyramid, biomass tends to decrease at higher trophic levels due to energy losses. Since seals are consumers of fish, and seals are higher on the chain than fish, it would be unusual for the seal biomass to exceed the fish biomass in a simple linear chain, making this option unlikely.
Overall, the reasoning suggests option d is the most consistent with energy transfer and trophic-level dynamics in a simple aquatic food chain, whereas the other options conflict with common ecological patterns such as biomass distribution, biomagnification, and accessibility of prey for humans.

BIO 112-004 - Spring 2025: Biological Concepts and Methods I I (Lecture)

If the flow of energy in an arctic ecosystem goes through a simple food chain, perhaps involving humans, starting from phytoplankton to zooplankton to fish to seals to polar bears, then which of the following could be TRUE?

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