In a forest, deer eat plants for survival.

Question

How would an increase in the deer population affect the plant life of an ecosystem?

Responses

Only the variety of plants would decrease.
Only the variety of plants would decrease.

Only the number of plants would increase.
Only the number of plants would increase.

The number and variety of plants would increase.
The number and variety of plants would increase.

The number and variety of plants would decrease.
The number and variety of plants would decrease.

Answer 1

An increase in the deer population would likely lead to the following effect on the ecosystem:

The number and variety of plants would decrease.

As the deer population grows, they would consume more plants, leading to overgrazing. This overconsumption can reduce both the overall number of plants and their diversity, as certain species may be more vulnerable to grazing and unable to regenerate or compete effectively in the ecosystem.