Question

90 80 70 60 50 Year Hares (x1000) Lynx(x1000) 1900 30 4 1901 47 2 6.1 1902 70.2 9.8 1903 77.4 35.2 1904 36.3 59.4 1905 20.6 41.7 1906 18.1 19 1907 21.4 1908 22 8.3 1909 25.4 9.01 1910 27.1 7.4 1911 40.3 1912 57 12.3 1913 76.6 19.5 1914 52.3 45.7 1915 19.5 51.1 1916 112 29.7 1917 7.6 15.8 1918 14.6 9.7 1919 16.2 10.1 1920 24.7 40 Л - Hares (x1000) -Lynxx1000) 30 20 10 0 19001902 1904 1906 1908 19101912 191A191619181920 8.6 Which figure below would most likely represent the previous 20 years of data? 20 tae 16 14 — на вароо - Канвор -kristoool 12 10 В - во -trusay 40 6 40 20 2 0 anisatississiasia i iнies in 1001041es anieirai Pie 100 Isso issis іѕеѕ iѕ іn іѕ іѕ в A В С

Answer 1

In an ecological system, a predator and a prey are two different species where the predator feeds on the prey. The 20 year data assumptions show predator-prey interaction between the two species hare and lynx. The number of predators influences the number of prey. When the number of preys becomes insufficient, the predators die due to starvation. The predator- prey cycle continues until there exists, a survival competition for both the organisms.

Therefore the option C is the correct choice. The graph represents a discrete time model for the 20 years of collected population data of hares and lynx. The population rises and falls depending on the predator-prey population. A slow rise followed by reaching the peak and then a decline but not reaching zero represents a cycling over time of both the hare and lynx species.