A Change in the Size of the Walleye Pollock Population and its Impact on the Jelly Population

The Relationship Between Walleye Pollock and Jelly Population

Walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) and moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) are two species that interact with each other in the marine ecosystem. A change in the size of the walleye pollock population can have a significant impact on the jelly population.

How the Walleye Pollock Population Affects Jelly Population

When the walleye pollock population decreases, there are more zooplankton available for the moon jellies to eat. Zooplankton is a primary food source for moon jellies, and with an increase in zooplankton availability, the jellies have more food to consume.

Answer: When the walleye pollock population decreased, there were more zooplankton available for the moon jellies to eat. Since the jellies had more energy storage molecules, they were able to reproduce more. This lead to more births than deaths in the moon jelly population, which caused the jelly population to increase.

Explanation: The decrease in the walleye pollock population indirectly benefitted the moon jelly population by providing them with more food resources. This led to an increase in the jelly population as they were able to reproduce more successfully due to the abundance of food.