Question

from the short film some animals are more equal than others: trophic cascades and keystone species: which statement below explains why the mussels in mukkaw bay were able to quickly cover the rockface in paines experiment? the starfish took up most of the room on the rocks, and when the starfish were removed, the mussels occupied the empty spaces starfish feed on mussels, so when the starfish were removed the mussels no longer had a predator and their populations grew unchecked. the starfish were competing directly with the mussels for food, and removing the starfish allowed the mussels more access to the food paine added more mussels to the rocks, causing the starfish to move to other habitats.

Explanation:

In Paine's experiment, starfish are predators of mussels. When predators (starfish) are removed, the prey (mussels) population can grow without predation pressure. The first option about space - occupation is incorrect as it's mainly about predation. The third option about competition for food is wrong because starfish - mussel relationship is predation. The fourth option about adding mussels is not in line with the experiment's nature (it was about removing starfish).

Answer:

Starfish feed on mussels, so when the starfish were removed the mussels no longer had a predator and their populations grew unchecked.