The North American spotted owl preys on small mammals. Suppose an organism was introduced into the ecosystem that also preys on
small mammals. How would this change in the ecosystem affect the population of the small mammals and the owl? A) The population of the small mammals and the owl would both increase. B) The population of the small mammals and the owl would both decrease. C) The population of the small mammals would increase, and the population of the owl would decrease. D) The population of the small mammals would decrease, and the population of the owl would increase.
Answer: B) The population of the small mammals and the owl would both decrease.
Explanation:
With the small mammals now having more entities hunting them which are the Spotted Owl and the new organism, their numbers would reduce because they are now being hunted by more animals.
The Spotted Owl will also decrease in number because with it now having more competition for its primary food source, the source would no longer be able to support as many of them as it could because it now has to support the population of the other organism as well. Some Owls would therefore die out due to lack of food.
