review the chart, which shows the population sizes of three african animals in 1990 and in 2000.\npopulation…
review the chart, which shows the population sizes of three african animals in 1990 and in 2000.\npopulation estimates of animals in africa in 1990 and in 2000\n| |1990|2000|\n|--|--|--|\n| lions|100,000|47,000|\n| cheetahs|50,000|7,500|\n| zebras|15,000|2,500|\nwhich explanation is best supported by the numbers in the chart?\no lion and cheetah populations compete for the food source of zebras, and lions outcompete cheetahs.\no the dwindling zebra population has led to the decline of the predator lion and cheetah populations.\no overhunting of lion and cheetah populations has led to a decline in the food source population.\no lion and cheetah populations compete for the food source of zebras, and cheetahs outcompete lions.
Answer
Brief Explanations:
- Analyze the population - change trend: From 1990 to 2000, the populations of lions, cheetahs, and zebras all declined. Zebras are prey, and lions and cheetahs are predators.
- Evaluate each option:
- Option 1: If lions out - compete cheetahs for zebras as food, cheetah population should decline more, but this is not shown in the data.
- Option 2: Since zebras are the food source for lions and cheetahs, the decline in zebra population can lead to the decline of lion and cheetah populations, which is consistent with the data.
- Option 3: Over - hunting of predators (lions and cheetahs) should lead to an increase in the prey (zebra) population, which is contrary to the data.
- Option 4: If cheetahs out - compete lions for zebras, lion population should decline more, but this is not shown in the data.