Question

a prairie food web is illustrated here. if all of the squirrels were removed from this food web, which animal population will most likely decrease first? coyotes mountain lions antelopes hawks

Explanation:

In a food - web, if a prey species (squirrels) is removed, the predator that relies most directly on it will be affected first. Coyotes are likely to be the predators that rely on squirrels as a food source among the given options. Other animals like mountain lions may have a more diverse diet, antelopes are not predators of squirrels, and hawks are not as directly linked to squirrels as coyotes in this context.

Answer:

A. Coyotes