Question

If blackmouth shiner fish populations suddenly started to increase in the Florida everglades, what biotic factor could be causing it?

Answer 1

It is a small, gray fish with a body length of about 1.5 inches. Blackmouth shiners have large, black eyes and a black stripe which runs along their mid-section. It is a species that has a small range limited to a small number of river systems in the southern United States. It breeds in the summer months as this species of blackmouth shiners eat algae, phytoplankton and small crustaceans,highly available during summers. The changes in hydrological cycles which includes drought and flood , and increase in frequency of strong storms is leading to a decrease in number of this species. This threat is magnified by the fish’s small range of habitat and life breeding season .

An increase in the population indicates that the the species has been able to undergo proper breeding with the availability of proper amount of food and habitat. This implies that there is less human intervention and less exploitation of the environment of that particular region.