Long-term records of lynx and snowshoe hare populations in boreal forests show repeating cycles approximately 10 years in length. The graph plots both populations over 30 years.
What does the lag of lynx peaks behind hare peaks indicate?
- A
Hares are predators of lynx.
- B
Lynx eat hares only every 10 years.
- C
The two populations cycle independently.
- Dcheck_circle
Predator population responds to abundant prey with a time delay; classic predator-prey oscillation.
Explanation
Predator increases follow prey increases as predators reproduce on the abundant resource. As predation reduces prey, predator numbers fall, allowing prey to rebound - producing classic Lotka-Volterra-style oscillations.