Final answer:
Predators can regulate prey populations via predator-prey dynamics, exemplified by the ten-year cycle of lynx and snowshoe hare populations, where the predator's population affects the prey's behavior and ecosystem even without direct consumption.
Step-by-step explanation:
Predators can control the populations of their prey without directly consuming them through a process known as the predator-prey dynamics. One of the most classic examples involves the lynx and the snowshoe hare in North America, detailed through trapping data over a period of about 100 years. This relationship exhibits a cycle of approximately ten years, where the size of the predator population lags behind that of the prey by one to two years.
As the hare population increases, more food is available for the lynx, which then also increases. However, once the lynx population reaches a certain threshold, they consume so many hares that the hare population starts to decline, followed by a subsequent decline in the lynx population due to the now limited food source. When lynx numbers are low, the snowshoe hare population begins to recover, which leads to a new cycle of predation pressure, starting the cycle anew. This illustrates that predation not only controls prey populations through direct consumption but also through the pressure it exerts on prey behavior and distribution, significantly affecting the ecosystem's dynamics.