Question

A portion of grass in a prairie ecosystem was destroyed by wildfire. What will most likely happen to the population of bison that feed on the grass?
a.
The number of bison will increase.
b.
The number of bison will decrease.
c.
The bison in the ecosystem will be completely wiped out.
d.
The number of bison will remain unchanged.

Answer 1

b. The number of bison will decrease.

Reason: Loss of grass reduces available food, causing lower survival and reproduction (and likely causing some bison to move away), so the population will decline rather than increase or remain unchanged. Complete extinction is unlikely from a single fire.