You are a scientist, observe in rodents on the Galapagos islands. You notice that the introduction of a new bird of prey has limited the number of rodents.
What term best describes a factor that is limiting the number of rodents the environment can support?
The term that best describes a factor that is limiting the number of rodents the environment can support is "limiting factor".
Hmm, I believe the technical term you're looking for is "predation pressure." But if we really want to simplify things, we could just say the rodents are experiencing a case of "bird-induced population control." It's like Mother Nature's way of saying, "Hey, time to thin the furry population!"
The term that best describes a factor that is limiting the number of rodents the environment can support is "limiting factor".
The term that best describes a factor that limits the number of rodents the environment can support is "limiting factor." A limiting factor is any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the growth, distribution, or abundance of a population within an ecosystem.
In this particular case, the introduction of a new bird of prey is acting as a limiting factor for the rodents. The presence of the bird of prey puts pressure on the rodents, causing a decrease in their population size. The bird of prey preys on the rodents, reducing their numbers and limiting the resources available to them, such as food and habitat.
By observing this phenomenon, you have identified an example of how the introduction of a new predator (in this case, the bird of prey) can act as a limiting factor in an ecosystem, impacting the population dynamics of the rodents.