Question

5. If there is a large number of prey rodents, the number of owls will increase due to a healthy

food source. More owls feeding on the rodents will cause their population to decrease, which in
turn will eventually cause the owls number to decrease. Would you expect to find this pattern in other ecosystems between predators and prey? Explain.

Answer 1

Predator-prey cycles, where increasing prey numbers trigger decreases in predator numbers, are a common phenomenon in ecosystems. These cycles help maintain balance and prevent any one species from becoming too dominant.

Step-by-step explanation:

The pattern described in the question, where increasing prey numbers trigger decreases in predator numbers, is a common phenomenon in predator-prey relationships in ecosystems. This pattern is known as the predator-prey cycle or the Lotka-Volterra model. It is seen in various ecosystems, such as the cycling of lynx and snowshoe hare populations in Northern Ontario.

In these cycles, as the prey population increases, there is more food available for the predators, leading to an increase in predator numbers. However, as the predator population becomes too high, they start to overconsume the prey, causing the prey population to decline. With less prey available, the predator population also starts to decline, allowing the prey population to recover and start the cycle anew.

These predator-prey cycles help maintain balance in ecosystems and prevent any one species from becoming too dominant. They are influenced by factors such as resource availability, competition, and predator behavior. The cycle may vary in duration and intensity depending on specific ecological conditions.

Answer 2

Yes

Step-by-step explanation:

One would expect to find the same pattern in any other ecosystems between predator and prey unless there is a way the prey's population is being replenished.

When predators start hunting down preys, the population of preys start decreasing and this will in turn means less food for the predators. If the trend continues, competition for food become fierce among the predators and this will make their population to start decreasing as the competitively strong ones take over the little food that remains and the competitively weak ones are gradually left to starve to death.