Question

drag each tile to the correct location on the table. not all tiles will be used.
which of the following two examples show how negative feedback helps an ecosystem achieve equilibrium?
a population of wolves gets too high for the ecosystem, resources become scarce, and the population starts to decline.
when the population density rises, it increases the mortality rate.
a flood destroys a population of dandelions.
prey population increases, which causes the predator population to also increase.
when the atmosphere warms the sea ice melts, which causes the ocean to absorb more heat, and causes more ice to melt.
negative feedback

Explanation:

Negative feedback is a mechanism that counteracts changes in a system to maintain equilibrium. In the first example, when the wolf population gets too high, resources become scarce, and the population declines - this is a negative feedback loop as it works against the increase in wolf numbers. In the second example, when population density rises, the mortality rate increases, which also counteracts the increase in population density. The third example (flood destroying dandelions) is a random event, not a feedback loop. The fourth example (prey - predator increase) is a positive feedback - like in a simple sense (more prey leads to more predators, but without a counteracting mechanism shown here). The fifth example (ice - melt) is a positive feedback as it amplifies the warming effect.

Answer:

A population of wolves gets too high for the ecosystem, resources become scarce, and the population starts to decline; When the population density rises, it increases the mortality rate.