Question

imagine you leave an apple in your locker over winter break. upon your return to school, you open your locker door to find a cloud of fruit flies. when you left school, the fly population in your locker was zero—now its at least 100! your locker ecosystem had a huge change in its fruit fly population. while this is hopefully not a normal occurrence in your locker, changes in population sizes and densities in ecosystems are normal responses to changes in resource availability. predict what would happen to the fruit fly population in the locker if the apple were removed from that ecosystem? give your reasoning.

Explanation:

The apple serves as a key resource for the fruit - fly population in the locker ecosystem. Without it, food availability decreases. Fruit flies rely on the apple for nutrition and as a breeding ground. So, the population would likely decline.

Answer:

The fruit - fly population in the locker would likely decline because the apple is a crucial resource for them, providing food and a breeding site. Without it, they lack necessary sustenance and breeding opportunities.