Question

1. **how are the blue whale and adelie penguin alike as consumers?

1. what effect would a drop in the size of the krill population have on the antarctic food web and why?*

Explanation:

Question 1

To determine how the blue whale and Adelie penguin are alike as consumers, we analyze their food sources from the food web. The blue whale and Adelie penguin both consume krill. As consumers, they rely on other organisms (krill, in this case) for energy, and neither is a primary producer (since primary producers like algae make their own food). They are both heterotrophs, obtaining energy by consuming other living things, and specifically, their diet includes krill.

A drop in the krill population would impact the Antarctic food web because krill is a central prey species. Organisms that directly feed on krill (like blue whales, Adelie penguins, crabeater seals, etc.) would face food shortages. This could lead to a decrease in their populations due to reduced energy intake and increased competition for the remaining krill. Then, the predators of these krill - dependent species (like killer whales, leopard seals) would also be affected as their prey populations decline, causing a ripple effect (trophic cascade) through the food web, disrupting population balances and potentially reducing biodiversity.

Answer:

Both the blue whale and Adelie penguin are consumers that feed on krill. They are heterotrophs (rely on consuming other organisms for energy) and not primary producers, with krill being a key part of their diet.

Question 2