A hawk is a bird of prey and its main food source is mice. Create a predator and

Question

A hawk is a bird of prey and its main food source is mice. Create a predator and prey line graph to show this cycle based on the following information. Use an appropriate scale, label your axis and include a legend.

a. What is the limiting factor within this ecosystem?

b. Why is there a lag between increases and decreases within the predator and

prey populations?

YEAR HAWKS MICE 2009 33 800 2008 46 3500 2007 100 1500 2006 48 550 2005 24 5000 2004 23 4500 2003 109 2800 2002 50 550 2001 36 1500 2000 64 4000

Explanation / Answer

hi

A limiting factor in a system is an input or variable such that a small change in it from the present value would cause a non-negligible change in an output or other measure of the system. A factor which is not limiting over a certain domain of starting conditions may yet be limiting over another domain of starting conditions, including that of the factor in question.The identification of a factor as limiting is of use only in distinction to one or more other factors which is/are non-limiting. Disciplines differ in their use of the term as to whether they admit of the simultaneous existence of more than one limiting factor (which may then be called "co-limiting"), but they all require the existence of at least one non-limiting factor when the terms are used. When all factors are limiting, none are.

In biology, common limiting factor resources or environmental conditions that limit the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or a population of organisms in an ecosystem. The concept of limiting factors is based on Liebig's Law of the Minimum, which states that growth is controlled not by the total amount of resources available, but by the scarcest resource. In other words, a factor is limiting if a change in the factor produces increased growth, abundance or distribution of an organism, when other factors necessary to the organisms life do not. Limiting factors may be physical or biological .Limiting factors are not all limited to the condition of the species. Some factors may be increased or reduced based on circumstances. An example of a limiting factor is sunlight in the rain forest, where growth is limited to all plants on the forest floor unless more light becomes available. This decreases a number of potential factors that could influence a biological process, but only one is in effect at any one place and time. This recognition that there is always a single limiting factor is vital in ecology; and the concept has parallels in numerous other processes. The limiting factor also causes competition between individuals of a species population. For example, space is a limiting factor. Many predators and prey need a certain amount of space for survival: food, water, and other biological needs. If the population of a species is too high, they start competing for those needs. Thus the limiting factors hold down population in an area by causing some individuals to seek better prospects elsewhere and others to stay and starve.

The cause of the predator increase and decrease is due to the increase and decrease of their major prey species. If the prey species has a particularly bad year, you'll see the predator species decline as well. Note that the decrease or increase of the predator species will always be behind that of the prey species - there is a time lag. The increase of prey will mean more pups will survive the next year and slowly increase the population (it isn't instantaneous). The decline of a prey species (for instance, due to starvation) will mean more food in the shortrun for the predator but then some adults will die off and many pups will not survive meaning future populations will be lower.

Predators are animals that use aerobic respiration. how they capture their prey is through a network of webs and poison spells that they use. now if you were to put this on a graph it would look something like a bell curve. increase in prey levels is caused by an increase in dominating mitochondria which control the prey's cellular levels. after this the predator increases because there is more poison spells that can be done

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