In 1969, two scientists devised an experiment to test a hypothesis that the number of species in an ecosystem depends on the area of the ecosystem. They counted all the arthropod species on a few very tiny islands. They then exterminated all the arthropods (mostly insects) with a pesticide. Over six months, they monitored the gradual repopulation of the island and noticed that by the end of the observation period, each island had almost the same number of species as it had before pesticide was used. However, the kinds of species that arrived often differed from the species that were on the island prior to pesticide use. Here is a chart that illustrates the results.
Based on the chart, which trophic level suffered the greatest net loss (number of species) in diversity?
Explanation
The number of species lost was greatest in ants.