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Question 22

In this model food web the only feeding links are these: caterpillars eat tree leaves; songbirds eat caterpillars; hawks eat songbirds. Songbirds are the only predator of the caterpillars in this web, and tree leaves remain plentiful, so food is not a limiting factor here. If all the songbirds are removed and nothing else in this web changes, what happens to the caterpillar population?

  1. It decreases, because the hawks begin eating caterpillars in this web
  2. It decreases, because the tree leaves disappear once the songbirds are gone
  3. It increases, because its only stated predator is goneCorrect answer
  4. It stays the same, because caterpillars are never affected by predators

Explanation

With their only stated predator removed, fewer caterpillars are eaten, so the caterpillar population grows in this model. The choice in which the hawks begin eating caterpillars fails because the web states no feeding link between hawks and caterpillars.

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Question 22: In this model food web the only feeding links are these:… · Food Webs and Energy Flow · Questena