Populations of typical prey animals such as deer might

Last updated: 4/13/2023

Populations of typical prey animals such as deer might exceed the carrying capacity of an ecosystem if top predators such as mountain lions are removed Without the mountain lions increased numbers of deer may reduce the food supply available to other herbivores such as field mice and crickets As a result populations of mice and crickets might decline causing a similar decline in species that feed on these organisms This example implies that properly functioning predator prey relationships O A can throw an ecosystem out of balance harm all of the organisms in an ecosystem result in food shortage for the entire ecosystem maintain balance within an ecosystem OB O C OD