Question

Consider a food chain that involves grass, rabbits, snakes, and hawks. Which of the following BEST describes what will happen if a cold winter reduces the amount of growing grass for one year? The rabbits will have a hard time finding food and may die off, resulting in less food for the snakes. The rabbits will overpopulate, providing the snakes with a surplus of food to eat. The hawks will be the only food source left for the rabbits and snakes.

Answer 1

I think it is he first one (a) - the rabbits will have a hard time finding food and may die off resulting in less food for the snakes. This ‘domino’ pattern would most likely continue up the food chain. However, some of the animals might adapt to the changes and become used to eating from a different food source.

Answer 2

Answer:

The correct statement is that the rabbits will have a hard time finding food and may die off, resulting in less food for the snakes.

Explanation:

A food chain refers to a linear network of associations in a food web beginning from producer organisms like trees or grass and terminating at apex predator species like grizzly bears or lions, decomposer species or detritivores.  

In the given case of the food chain, if the grass becomes less than the rabbits will find it difficult to survive due to the scarcity of food, which in turn will affect the population of snakes, as they are dependent on rabbits as the source of their food. Thus, if grasses decline, the rabbit's population will start to decline, ultimately resulting in the reduction of snakes population.