Question

page 13 of 13
Biodiversity and Ecological Health Quick Check
1 of 41 of 4 Items
Question
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)
Responses

wolf
wolf

deer
deer

fox
fox

rabbit

Answer 1

The animal whose absence would have the greatest negative effect on the ecosystem is the **wolf**.

Wolves are apex predators in this scenario and play a crucial role in regulating the populations of other species, such as deer, foxes, and rabbits. Without wolves, the populations of deer and rabbits could increase significantly, potentially leading to overgrazing and depletion of vegetation, which would disrupt the entire ecosystem. Additionally, the absence of wolves would remove the predation pressure on foxes, potentially leading to an imbalance in their populations as well.