Refer to the graph below, showing population cycles of snowshoe hares and their predator, Canada lynx.Population numbers were collected when both populations were trapped for the fur trade. In the study of snowshoe hares and Canada lynx, this predator-prey interaction showed tightly controlled population cycles of approximately 10 years.The hares' numbers peaked, followed by peaks in lynx numbers approximately 2 to 3 years later.Assuming a cause-and-effect relationship between the two species, if lynx were removed from the community, the hare population would likely
A) grow indefinitely without lynx to control its numbers.
B) grow exponentially at first but crash when it ran out of food.
C) grow exponentially at first but level off as hares adapted to the new condition.
D) continue to undergo cycles, with some other factor replacing lynx as a control.
E) show erratic population numbers, with no obvious cycles or other patterns.

Question

Refer to the graph below, showing population cycles of snowshoe hares and their predator, Canada lynx.Population numbers were collected when both populations were trapped for the fur trade.  In the study of snowshoe hares and Canada lynx, this predator-prey interaction showed tightly controlled population cycles of approximately 10 years.The hares' numbers peaked, followed by peaks in lynx numbers approximately 2 to 3 years later.Assuming a cause-and-effect relationship between the two species, if lynx were removed from the community, the hare population would likely
A) grow indefinitely without lynx to control its numbers. 
B) grow exponentially at first but crash when it ran out of food. 
C) grow exponentially at first but level off as hares adapted to the new condition. 
D) continue to undergo cycles, with some other factor replacing lynx as a control. 
E) show erratic population numbers, with no obvious cycles or other patterns.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Without the predator-prey relationship with lynx, snowshoe hare population would grow exponentially at first but eventually, it would crash when it ran out of food, because of the burden too many individuals would put on their environment. This is because the absence of lynx to control the hare population would result in overgrazing, which would reduce the availability of vegetation, causing the hare population to decline.

Refer to the Graph Below, Showing Population Cycles of Snowshoe