Question

1. crayfish eat insects, bluegill eat crayfish, and snapping turtles eat bluegill. what would happen to the crayfish if the snapping turtle population suddenly decreased? the crayfish population would stay the same the crayfish population would increase at first, then decrease as snapping turtle populations recovered the crayfish population would increase the crayfish population would decrease

Explanation:

Snapping turtles eat bluegill, bluegill eat crayfish. With fewer snapping - turtles, there will be more bluegill, which in turn will eat more crayfish. But initially, the decrease in snapping turtles means less predation on bluegill, so bluegill population may not immediately increase to a level that severely impacts crayfish. So, the crayfish population will increase first as the top - level predator (snapping turtles) decreases.

Answer:

The crayfish population would increase at first, then decrease as snapping turtle populations recovered