Final answer:
In the Lotka-Volterra population model, predators affect the death rate of prey, leading to cyclical fluctuations in both prey and predator populations.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the Lotka-Volterra population model for a prey population, the process affected by predators is the death rate of prey. Predators consume the prey, which directly increases the mortality rate of the prey population. The model illustrates how the number of prey is directly related to the number of predators, showing that as the prey population increases, there is more food for predators, leading to an increase in the predator population.
Subsequently, as the number of predators increases, more prey are captured, resulting in a decline in the prey population. This interaction tends to keep the populations of both species in balance. Predation and related population dynamics are complex; factors such as food availability, habitat, and competition also play a role in the cyclical nature of these populations.
Most density-dependent factors are biological in nature and include predation, which usually means that the denser a population is, the greater its mortality rate due to higher predation pressures. On the flip side, low prey density increases the mortality of its predator because the predators have more difficulty locating their food source.