Question

A student is investigating the population size of rabbits in a woodland ecosystem. She researches the known population of rabbits over 125 years and creates a graph representing the rabbit population with a solid line and the ecosystem's carrying capacity with a dotted line.

A line graph showing rabbit population in millions from 1800 to 1930. A dashed horizontal line is at about 1.7 million up the y-axis. a solid line rises from the origin rapidly to a peak near 1.8 million around 1850, then fluctuates up and down across the dashed line through 1930.

Based on the information in the graph, what conclusion can the student draw about the time period between 1800 and 1835?

A.
The rabbit population had few limiting factors and the ecosystem was beyond its carrying capacity.

B.
The rabbit population had many limiting factors and the ecosystem was beyond its carrying capacity.

C.
The rabbit population had few limiting factors and the ecosystem had not yet reached its carrying capacity.

D.
The rabbit population had many limiting factors and the ecosystem had not yet reached its carrying capacity.

Answer 1

C.

Between 1800 and 1835 the rabbit population rises rapidly (indicating few limiting factors) and stays below the dotted carrying-capacity line, so the population had not yet reached the ecosystem's carrying capacity.