Oxpeckers Are African Birds That Fly Around Large Mammals and Pick

Oxpeckers are African birds that fly around large mammals and pick at both ticks and wounds on the animals. Scientists have debated whether oxpeckers are parasites or mutualists with large mammals. Draw bar graphs in the blank figures to show the relationships if oxpeckers are mutualists with large mammals. Plot a should show the abundance of ticks on large mammals in two conditions: if oxpeckers are present and if oxpeckers are absent. Plot b should show the number of offspring produced by oxpeckers if they are nesting near mammals with many ticks or nesting near mammals with few ticks. Explain why your drawings are consistent with mutualism.