Consider the following scenario:
You are a scientist observing rodents on the Galapagos Islands. You notice that the introduction of new bird of prey has limited the number of rodents.
What term best describes the factor that is limiting the number of rodents the environment can support?
• variation
• fitness
• selective pressure
• food supply
The term that best describes the factor that is limiting the number of rodents the environment can support is "selective pressure". The introduction of new bird of prey has increased the selective pressure on the rodents, leading to a decrease in their population. Selective pressure refers to any environmental factor that affects the survival and reproductive success of an organism, resulting in natural selection and changes in the population over time.
The term that best describes the factor that is limiting the number of rodents the environment can support is "selective pressure."
The term that best describes the factor limiting the number of rodents the environment can support in this scenario is "selective pressure".
To arrive at this answer, let's analyze the given information. We are told that the introduction of a new bird of prey has resulted in a limitation of the number of rodents. Essentially, this means that the presence of the bird of prey is putting pressure on the rodent population, influencing their survival and reproduction.
In evolutionary biology, selective pressure refers to any external factor that affects the survival or reproductive success of individuals in a population. These pressures can be both biotic (like predation, competition, or disease) and abiotic (like changes in temperature or habitat). In this case, the presence of the new bird of prey is exerting selective pressure on the rodents, acting as a limiting factor by reducing their population size.
Therefore, "selective pressure" is the term that best describes the factor limiting the number of rodents in the given scenario.