Question

this food chain shows organisms in a tropical coral reef ecosystem.
use the food chain to complete the text below.
if the population of blue sprats increases, the population of copepods will likely , and the population of reef squids will likely .

Explanation:

In the food chain (diatom → copepod → blue sprat → reef squid → blackfin barracuda), blue sprats eat copepods. If blue sprat population increases, they'll consume more copepods, so copepod population will likely decrease. Reef squids eat blue sprats; with more blue sprats, reef squids have more food, so their population will likely increase.

Answer:

If the population of blue sprats increases, the population of copepods will likely \(\boldsymbol{\text{decrease}}\), and the population of reef squids will likely \(\boldsymbol{\text{increase}}\).