You are studying a species of grasshopper, trying to understand what determines its geographic distribution. The...

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You are studying a species of grasshopper, trying to understand what determines its geographic distribution. The grasshopper is an herbivore and reproduces multiple times each summer, producing many young. One day, you come across a meadow that is outside the grasshopper's geographic distribution. The amount of precipitation and temperature are ideal for the grasshopper species. The grasshopper's usual predators and pathogens are absent, and their favourite food plants are highly abundant. There are other herbivores present, but the grasshopper is a stronger competitor. Overall, all the conditions are perfectly suited for the grasshopper species. a) Why is the grasshopper absent from this meadow? (2-3 sentences) (2 marks) b) Imagine you caught a couple dozen grasshoppers and released them in the meadow. What might occur over the following few years? Predict whether the following four variables would increase, decrease, or stay the same over time and why: grasshopper population size, primary producer density, secondary consumer density, the fundamental niche of a competitor species. (4 sentences) (4 marks) You are studying a species of grasshopper, trying to understand what determines its geographic distribution. The grasshopper is an herbivore and reproduces multiple times each summer, producing many young. One day, you come across a meadow that is outside the grasshopper's geographic distribution. The amount of precipitation and temperature are ideal for the grasshopper species. The grasshopper's usual predators and pathogens are absent, and their favourite food plants are highly abundant. There are other herbivores present, but the grasshopper is a stronger competitor. Overall, all the conditions are perfectly suited for the grasshopper species. a) Why is the grasshopper absent from this meadow? (2-3 sentences) (2 marks) b) Imagine you caught a couple dozen grasshoppers and released them in the meadow. What might occur over the following few years? Predict whether the following four variables would increase, decrease, or stay the same over time and why: grasshopper population size, primary producer density, secondary consumer density, the fundamental niche of a competitor species. (4 sentences) (4 marks)

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a The absence of the grasshopper species in the meadow despite the ideal conditions cou... View the full answer