Question

Which additional observation would support the conclusion that the deer population is not changing size from year to year, meaning that the net population is 0?

Answer 1

Additional observations supporting a stable deer population size could include a consistent number of deer over time, equal deer birth and death rates, and a steady ratio of marked to unmarked individuals in samples. Observations of stable resource availability and consistent predator-prey dynamics might also indicate a population in equilibrium with its environment.

Step-by-step explanation:

To support the conclusion that the deer population is not changing size from year to year, an additional observation could be that the number of deer births equals the number of deaths in the population. If a full population census is conducted year after year and consistently finds the same number of deer or a stable age structure, this would suggest that births and deaths are balancing each other out and that the net population change is zero. Another supportive observation could be the maintenance of a consistent ratio of marked to unmarked individuals over subsequent recaptures, assuming that the marking process itself does not affect the mortality or reproductive success of the deer.

Answer 2

The presence of predators of deer which does not allow increase in the population of deer year after year.

Step-by-step explanation:

In an forest ecosystem, one animal controls the population of another organisms and thus there is no increase in the population of that organism and the ecosystem is in equilibrium state. The population of deer did not increase due to the presence of predators such as lion, cheetah etc and the net population is 0.