15.4 Changing Population

Question 1

What does it mean when a predator is interdependent

Answer 1

When a predator relies on only 1 species of prey, meaning if the population of the predator changes, it affects the prey, and vice versa

Question 2

What is the usual trend in population when it comes to interdependent prey?

Answer 2

If the prey have enough food, their population increases, resulting in more food for the predator. This causes the prey’s population to drop, resulting in less food for the predator, this causes the predator’s population to drop. Without a lot of predators, the prey gets enough time to reproduce back to a high population, and the cycle continues