Question

Consider the following food chain:
Plants are eaten by grasshoppers, which are eaten by mice, which are eaten by snakes.

What is likely to happen if a new organism that feeds off mice is introduced?
a.
The mice population will increase in response to the arrival of the new organism.
b.
The mice population, grasshopper population, and plant population will all increase.
c.
The new organism will compete with the snake population for resources.
d.
The populations of the existing organisms will remain unaffected.

Answer 1

c.

The new organism and the snakes would both prey on mice, so they would compete for the same resource. Added predation would likely reduce the mice population, which would indirectly allow grasshoppers to increase and plants to decline — so a and b and d are incorrect.