Question

study the relationships shown in the food web.
chesapeake bay waterbird food web image of food web with organisms: osprey, bald eagle, gull, wading bird, striped bass, sea duck, swan, menhaden, bivalves, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, herbivorous duck, goose, phytoplankton, underwater vegetation, vegetation
which organism would be impacted most negatively if disease killed off the striped bass population?
options: osprey, menhaden, sea duck, bald eagle (paraphrased from visible text)

Explanation:

To determine the organism most negatively impacted by the loss of striped bass, we analyze the food web:

• Striped bass is prey for bald eagle (and osprey). If striped bass die, bald eagles lose a key food source.
• Menhaden: Striped bass preys on menhaden, so menhaden populations would likely increase (not decrease) without striped bass predation.
• Sea duck: Its food sources (e.g., bivalves, vegetation) are not directly linked to striped bass.
• Menhaden (option “menhaden”): As above, menhaden would benefit (fewer predators), so it is not negatively impacted.

Thus, the bald eagle, which relies on striped bass as prey, faces the most negative impact due to the loss of this food source.

Answer:

D. bald eagle