Question

question 20 of 25
a hawk is a predator for mice. what will happen if the hawk population decreases due to hunting by humans?
a. the carrying capacity of the ecosystem will decrease.
b. the mouse population will increase.
c. the ecosystem will reach hardy-weinberg equilibrium.
d. the mouse birthrate will decrease.

Explanation:

Hawks are predators of mice. When the hawk population decreases (due to hunting), there are fewer predators to hunt mice. With less predation pressure, the mouse population is likely to increase as more mice survive (since fewer are being eaten by hawks).

• Option A: The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is related to resources like food, water, and space. A decrease in hawk population (a predator) does not directly decrease the carrying capacity.
• Option C: The Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium is a principle in population genetics about allele and genotype frequencies in non - evolving populations and is not relevant to this predator - prey scenario.
• Option D: A decrease in hawk population would not cause the mouse birthrate to decrease. In fact, with less predation, the mouse population might have more resources per individual (if resources are not limiting) and could potentially have a stable or even slightly increased birthrate.

Answer:

B. The mouse population will increase.