Asked by 6ujr

Imagine that an ecosystem contains rabbits, foxes, wolves, and deer. The following predator-prey relationships exist:

Rabbits are eaten by foxes and wolves
Deer are eaten by wolves
Foxes are eaten by wolves
Select the animal whose absence would have the greatest negative effect on the ecosystem.



(1 point)

wolf

rabbit

fox

deer

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
wolf

Wolves are the apex predator here (they eat rabbits, deer, and foxes). Removing them causes trophic cascades—prey populations (especially deer) can explode, leading to overgrazing and broad ecosystem imbalance—so their absence has the greatest negative effect.