Final answer:
An increase in rodent population would likely occur if snakes died due to a viral disease because snakes help control rodent populations by preying on them.
Step-by-step explanation:
If snakes died due to a viral disease, this would lead to an increase in rodent population. Snakes are predators that play a critical role in controlling the population of various prey species, including rodents. With the snakes gone, there would be fewer natural predators to keep the rodent population in check, allowing it to grow unchecked.
In any ecosystem, the removal of a predator can trigger a trophic cascade, where the effects ripple down through the food chain. In absence of predation pressure from snakes, rodent populations would likely increase, which could lead to overconsumption of their food resources and potential negative impacts on other species and the environment.
It's important to note that ecosystems are complex, and the full impact of the loss of snakes would depend on the specific ecosystem and the variety of species interactions within it. However, the most immediate and noticeable effect would probably be on species directly preyed upon by snakes, like rodents.