unit 2 ecology 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2
in the tundra, where both reindeer and wolves live, the number of reindeer in a herd does not exceed the carrying capacity of the environment. in 1944, the united states coast guard transported 29 reindeer to st. matthew island in the bering strait. st. matthew island has the typical climate for a tundra, but no wolves live there. the graph shown in figure 2 represents the growth curve for the reindeer population there.
20. what is the increase in the reindeer population increase between 1945 and 1963?
21. what is the decrease in the reindeer population between 1963 and 1966?
22. did the reindeer exceed the carrying capacity of their environment? explain your answer.
23 why do you think the population increased so rapidly in less than 20 years?
24. why do you think that the population declined so rapidly, from 6000 to 42, in 3 years?
25. what do you think would have happened if wolves had been brought to the island with the reindeer?
predation is not necessarily harmful to the prey population. predation might act as an important means of keeping the prey population within the limits of its food supply. the graph shown in figure 3 represents a theoretical cycle that evolves in a predator - prey relationship.
26. read the following lettered descriptions. use the letters to label the graph in order to show what is happening to the populations of predators and prey at each point marked on the curve.
a. prey population rises due to decline in predator population.
b. predator population rises due to increase in prey population.
c. prey population falls due to increase in predation.
d. predator population falls due to decline in prey population.
e. prey population rises.
25. could these theoretical growth curves for predators and prey actually represent what happens in nature? explain your answer.

Question

Accepted Answer

# Explanation:
## Step1: Identify 1945 and 1963 populations
1945 population: $29$; 1963 population: $6000$
## Step2: Calculate population increase
$6000 - 29 = 5971$

# Explanation:
## Step1: Identify 1963 and 1966 populations
1963 population: $6000$; 1966 population: $42$
## Step2: Calculate population decrease
$6000 - 42 = 5958$

# Brief Explanations:
Yes, they exceeded carrying capacity. The population spiked to 6000 then crashed to 42, which shows the environment could not sustain the peak population long-term, leading to a massive die-off.
# Answer:
Yes, the reindeer exceeded the carrying capacity. The extreme population crash after reaching 6000 proves the environment could not support that large number of reindeer.

# Brief Explanations:
The island had no wolf predators, had tundra vegetation for food, and the initial small population had abundant resources to support rapid exponential growth.
# Answer:
The population grew rapidly because there were no predators (wolves) on the island, and there was initially enough food/habitat to support unimpeded growth.

# Brief Explanations:
The peak population overconsumed the island's limited tundra vegetation, destroying their food source. This led to starvation, and without predators to cull the population earlier, the overshoot of carrying capacity caused a catastrophic collapse.
# Answer:
The population declined rapidly because the reindeer overgrazed and exhausted the island's limited food resources. Once the carrying capacity was drastically exceeded, mass starvation occurred, leading to the huge die-off.

# Brief Explanations:
Wolves would act as a predator to control the reindeer population, preventing it from overshooting the island's carrying capacity. The reindeer population would stay more stable, with smaller, cyclic fluctuations instead of a massive spike and crash.
# Answer:
If wolves had been brought with the reindeer, the reindeer population would likely be kept in check by predation, avoiding the extreme overgrowth and subsequent catastrophic collapse. The population would stay closer to the island's carrying capacity with more natural, smaller fluctuations.

# Brief Explanations:
Follow the predator-prey cycle logic: Start with prey rising when predators are low (e), then predators rise due to more prey (b), prey falls from predation (c), predators fall from lack of prey (d), prey rises again (a) to restart the cycle, matching the curve order.
# Answer:
Label the curve points in order (left to right):
1. e. Prey population rises.
2. b. Predator population rises due to increase in prey population.
3. c. Prey population falls due to increase in predation.
4. d. Predator population falls due to decline in prey population.
5. a. Prey population rises due to decline in predator population.

# Brief Explanations:
These curves are a simplified model. In nature, there are more variables: multiple predator/prey species, weather, disease, and human interference that can disrupt the clean cyclic pattern. However, they do capture the general tendency of predator-prey population fluctuations.
# Answer:
These curves are a simplified representation and do not perfectly match nature, but they capture the general pattern. In real ecosystems, additional factors like weather events, disease, multiple predator/prey species, and human activity disrupt the clean cyclic pattern, but the core link between predator and prey population changes is observed in nature.

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QUESTION IMAGE

Question

Explanation:

Step1: Identify 1945 and 1963 populations

Step2: Calculate population increase

Step1: Identify 1963 and 1966 populations

Step2: Calculate population decrease

Answer: