DQuestion 2 1 pts We don\'t consider population cycles in detail (this material

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DQuestion 2 1 pts We don't consider population cycles in detail (this material is developed fully in Biology 306), but it's worth thinking a little about them as they relate to community structure and indirect effects. As described on p.254, cycles are often very regular in both period "horizontal" peak-to-peak or valley-to-valley time intervals on a graph) and amplitude (the "vertical" height-changes of abundance) Which one of the following mechanisms sounds implausible to explain the regularity? by the time a vole population reaches its peak, there is already insufficient remaining plant material to support their abundance for long because it has been gradually degraded during the approach to the peak declining-consumer-abundance phases eventually stop due to a combination of reduced requirement for the consumer's prey (imposed by the now-small number of consumers present) and effective regeneration of the prey population because it is under less stress from consumer harassment. evolutionary changes in both consumer and prey occur at a slower pace than do the ccological interactions between them, so as long as habitat conditions are predictable the cycling should be also. because a carnivore at high density imposes a direct negative effect on its herbivore prey, it also imposes an indirect positive effect on the herbivore's plant prey (because fewer herbivores are attacking it); this enhancement of the plants tends to set the stage for rapid recovery of herbivore stocks once carnivores begin to decline individuals in consumer populations recognize declines in their prey's abundance, and curtail their breeding to compensate for shortages, thus causing a timely decline in consumer numbers; this tends to protect the future of the prey populations and permits them to recover

Explanation / Answer

Because a carnivore at high density imposes a direct negative effect on its herbivore prey, it also imposes an positive effect on the herbivore’s plant prey (because fewer herbivores are attacking it), this enhancement of the plants tends to set the stage for rapid recovery of herbivore stocks once carnivores begin to decline.

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