A grasshopper population in a prairie is limited in large part by the number of birds in the region. Following a terrible storm that killed many of the birds, the grasshopper population exhibits exponential growth. This happens because the grasshoppers experienced a steady __________ but decreased ______________
Answer:
Biotic potential; environmental resistance
Explanation:
Biotic potential is the ability of a species to be able to reproduce, grow and thrive well in a particular environment, especially under favorable environmental conditions such as, absence of predators, availability of food, no competition etc.
Environmental resistance can be referred to as the sum total of all biotic and abiotic factors that act against the biotic potential of a species and limits the multiplication and growth of that species in an environment.
The death of the birds that prey on the grasshopper population in prairie created an ideal environmental condition for the grasshopper to multiply, which is one of the primary factors that increases the biotic potential of the grasshopper as environmental resistance decreases.
