Question

this food chain shows organisms in a hot desert ecosystem.
brittlebush → pallid - winged grasshopper → grasshopper mouse → western diamondback rattlesnake → red - tailed hawk
use the food chain to complete the text below.
if the population of grasshopper mice decreases, the population of pallid - winged grasshoppers will likely dropdown, and the population of western diamondback rattlesnakes will likely dropdown.

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the food chain

The food chain is: brittlebush → pallid - winged grasshopper → grasshopper mouse → western diamondback rattlesnake → red - tailed hawk. So, pallid - winged grasshoppers are preyed upon by grasshopper mice, and western diamondback rattlesnakes prey on grasshopper mice.

Step2: Effect of grasshopper mouse population decrease on pallid - winged grasshoppers

If the population of grasshopper mice (the predator of pallid - winged grasshoppers) decreases, there will be less predation pressure on pallid - winged grasshoppers. So, the population of pallid - winged grasshoppers will likely increase.

Step3: Effect of grasshopper mouse population decrease on western diamondback rattlesnakes

Western diamondback rattlesnakes prey on grasshopper mice. If the population of grasshopper mice (their food source) decreases, there will be less food available for western diamondback rattlesnakes. So, the population of western diamondback rattlesnakes will likely decrease.

Answer:

For the first blank: increase; For the second blank: decrease