Scientists have been studying the size of three populations in a grassland. In this ecosystem, hawks (a type of large bird) eat
sparrows (a type of small bird), and sparrows eat seeds from buckwheat. The data showed that all three populations were stable. Then the hawk population increased suddenly. What will likely happen to the size of the sparrow population as a result? The size of the sparrow population will
Answer: The size of the sparrow population would decrease dramatically to meet the demands of many predators, the hawks. Because the Hawks’s population increased so suddenly it would mean that more and more hawks would need to eat and their food sources is the small sparrow. Therefore the sparrow population would decrease due to too many predators hunting.
