The vegetation in a grassland ecosystem consists mainly of grasses, shrubs, and bushes. The prairie dog is a small rodent that grazes on the grasses found in the North American grasslands. The swift fox feeds on the prairie dog, and is in turn preyed upon by
the badger. The golden eagle feeds on the badger. The following graph shows a decline in the population of the golden eagle over a
span of five years, due to a disease that affected the golden eagle population.
Grassland Ecosystem
3.5
- golden eagle
25
Population (in thousands)
0.5
4
Time in years)
What effect will the disease most likely have on the golden eagle's ecological community?
ОА.
The prairie dog population will increase while that of the swift fox and badger will decrease.
ОВ.
The swift fox and prairie dog populations will increase while that of the badger will decrease.
OC.
The badger and prairie dog populations will increase while that of the swift fox will decrease.
OD
The badger and swift fox populations will increase while that of the prairie dog will decrease.