If a predator is removed from a food chain, the population of its immediate prey will likely:
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Increase initially
The removal of a predator reduces the mortality rate of its prey, leading to an initial population explosion. However, this often leads to overgrazing of the level below the prey, eventually causing an ecosystem imbalance.
Keep practicing
More Food Chains questions
- Which term refers to the total weight of all living organic matter at a particular trophic level?
- In a food chain consisting of Wheat -> Rat -> Cat -> Lion, which organism is the top carnivore?
- The flow of energy in a food chain is always:
- What is the role of 'Zooplankton' in a pond food chain?
- Which of the following would be the first link in a food chain located in the deep ocean near hydrothermal vents?
- Which of the following ecological pyramids can sometimes be inverted in an aquatic ecosystem?