Question

Hypothetical Marine Ecosystem: What's a good conclusion, a eukaryotic predatory microbe that feeds on heterotrophic bacteria can only survive if suplemented with food, or they starve due to lack of resource.

1) The eukaryotic microbes are being outcompeted for organic matter by predatory photoatutrophic bacteri

2) Viruses are lysing bacteria cells, preventing organic matter from reaching the higher level of the microbial food web.

3) Even higher levels of the food web, such as vertebrates, are sonsuming the available heterotrophic bacteria.

Answer 1

Ans. The best conclusion could be option (2)-Viruses are lysing bacterial cells preventing organic matter from reaching the higher level of the microbial food web.

These eukaryotic predatory microbes are unable to synthesize their own food and hence depends on feeding the heterotrophic bacteria as food for their survival. When heterotrophic bacteria are killed by viral lysis, they will deminish from the ecosystem and eukaryotic predatory microbes will not get food. Hence, these predatory eukaryotic microbes will be able to survive only when supplemented with food.