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QUESTION IMAGE

this food chain shows organisms in a tundra ecosystem. use the food cha…

Question

this food chain shows organisms in a tundra ecosystem.
use the food chain to complete the text below.
if the population of baffin island wolves increases, the population of polar bears will likely
, and the population of arctic foxes will likely
.

Explanation:

Brief Explanations
  1. First, analyze the food chain: Lichen → Collared lemming → Arctic fox → Baffin Island wolf → Polar bear.
  2. If Baffin Island wolves (predator of Arctic fox, prey of polar bear) increase:
  • Arctic fox population: Wolves eat more Arctic foxes, so Arctic fox population decreases.
  • Polar bear population: With fewer Arctic foxes, polar bears (which eat Arctic foxes? Wait, no—wait the food chain is lichen→lemming→Arctic fox→wolf→polar bear. So wolf is prey of polar bear? Wait, no, the order: lichen (producer), then collared lemming (herbivore), Arctic fox (carnivore eating lemming), Baffin Island wolf (carnivore eating Arctic fox), polar bear (carnivore eating wolf). So:
  • When wolf population increases:
  • Arctic fox: More wolves mean more predation on Arctic fox, so Arctic fox population decreases (first blank: decrease).
  • Polar bear: More wolves mean more food for polar bears (since polar bears eat wolves), so polar bear population increases? Wait, no—wait the food chain flow: energy moves from prey to predator. So wolf is prey of polar bear. So if wolf population increases, polar bears have more food, so polar bear population increases? Wait, but the first blank is about polar bear? Wait the text: "If the population of Baffin Island wolves increases, the population of polar bears will likely [first blank], and the population of Arctic foxes will likely [second blank]." Wait, no—wait the original text: "If the population of Baffin Island wolves increases, the population of polar bears will likely [blank1], and the population of Arctic foxes will likely [blank2]." Wait, let's re-express the food chain:
  • Producer: Lichen
  • Primary consumer: Collared lemming (eats lichen)
  • Secondary consumer: Arctic fox (eats lemming)
  • Tertiary consumer: Baffin Island wolf (eats Arctic fox)
  • Quaternary consumer: Polar bear (eats wolf)

So:

  • Wolf (prey of polar bear) population increases:
  • Polar bear: More wolves to eat, so polar bear population increases (because more food).
  • Arctic fox: More wolves eating Arctic fox, so Arctic fox population decreases (because more predation).

Wait, but maybe I got the food chain wrong. Wait the images: lichen → collared lemming → Arctic fox → Baffin Island wolf → polar bear. So:

  • Lichen (plant) → lemming (herbivore) → Arctic fox (carnivore) → wolf (carnivore) → polar bear (carnivore).

So:

  • Wolf is prey for polar bear. So when wolf population increases:
  • Polar bear: More food (wolves), so polar bear population increases (first blank: increase).
  • Arctic fox: Wolves eat more Arctic foxes, so Arctic fox population decreases (second blank: decrease).

Wait, but maybe the food chain is different. Alternatively, maybe the wolf is a competitor or the polar bear eats Arctic fox and wolf? No, the order of the images: lichen (top), then collared lemming, then Arctic fox, then Baffin Island wolf, then polar bear (bottom). So the flow is lichen → lemming → Arctic fox → wolf → polar bear (energy transfer: each level is eaten by the next). So:

  • Predator-prey relationships:
  • Arctic fox is prey of wolf.
  • Wolf is prey of polar bear.

So:

  • If wolf (prey of polar bear) increases:
  • Polar bear: More food (wolves), so polar bear population increases (because more available prey).
  • Arctic fox: More wolves mean more predation on Arctic fox, so Arctic fox population decreases (because higher predation pressure).

So the first blank (polar bear) is "increase", second blank (Ar…

Answer:

For the polar bear population: increase
For the Arctic fox population: decrease

(Assuming the blanks are ordered as "polar bear" first, then "Arctic fox". If the blanks are reversed, adjust, but based on the text: "the population of polar bears will likely [blank], and the population of Arctic foxes will likely [blank]". So first blank: increase; second blank: decrease.)