Question

What would most likely happen to this ecosystem if all of the gray wolves were removed?

Answer 1

Answer:

D. The fox population would decrease

Explanation:

The food web shows that the gray wolves population are the only population that prey on the moose population. If the gray wolves were removed, the population of moose would increase significantly and would dominate the ecosystem. This means that other herbivores won't be able to compete with the moose population for the forages and vegetation in the ecosystem. The population of the other primary consumers/herbivores will reduce also. By implication, the fox which depend on other smaller preys to feed on would not have much prey to feed on. The ultimate effect of the removal of the gray wolves would lead to a later decrease in the population of the fox