A biologist studying a desert ecosystem observes that the population of a lizard species increases following a particularly hot, dry period that causes a snake population to decline. What could the biologist hypothesize about the roles of these two species?

Question

A biologist studying a desert ecosystem observes that the population of a lizard species increases following a particularly hot, dry period that causes a snake population to decline. What could the biologist hypothesize about the roles of these two species? 
A.The lizard preys on the snake 
B.The lizard is a parasite of the snake 
C.The snake and lizard use the same limiting resource 
D.The snake is a keystone species in the ecosystem

Damon · Answer

The snake seems to be in charge of controlling the lizard populations, a function fulfilled by a keystone species.

Elina · Answer

Ok, thank you