Question

question 2 of 10
in a certain ecosystem, owls are predators for mice. the owl population increases, and they eat more mice. this causes the mouse population to decrease. what happens next?

a. the birthrate of owls increases.

b. the population of owls decreases.

c. the birthrate of mice increases.

d. the population of mice increases.

Explanation:

In an ecosystem, predator - prey relationships follow a cycle. When the owl population increases and eats more mice, the mouse population decreases. With fewer mice (prey) available, the owls will face a shortage of food. This lack of food will lead to a decrease in the owl population because not enough owls will be able to survive and reproduce.

• Option A: With less food (mice) available, the birthrate of owls is more likely to decrease rather than increase.
• Option C: A decrease in the mouse population does not directly lead to an increase in the birthrate of mice. Usually, when the population is low, other factors like resource availability (but in this case, the main issue is predation) would not cause an immediate increase in birthrate.
• Option D: The owls are still preying on the mice, so the mouse population cannot increase right after it has decreased due to predation.

Answer:

B. The population of owls decreases.