Sea gulls prey on snails on the rocky sea coast. The snails vary in color from solid brown to brown and tan striped. The birds suck the soft snail bodies out of the shells and leave the shells behind on the rocks. Scientists picked up 500 empty shells and found that 400 of the shells were solid brown and only 100 were striped. Over the years, what would you expect to happen to the snail population?(1 point)
Responses
The snails would become extinct.
The snails would become extinct.
There would be mostly brown snails.
There would be mostly brown snails.
There would be mostly striped snails.
There would be mostly striped snails.
There would be an even number of brown snails and striped snails.
There would be mostly brown snails.
are you sure please give me the right answer
I apologize for the oversight in my previous response.
The correct answer would be: There would be mostly striped snails.
Since the sea gulls are preying on the brown snails more heavily, the population of brown snails would decrease over time, while the population of striped snails would increase, leading to a higher proportion of striped snails in the population.
Are You Sure?
I apologize for the confusion in my previous responses. Let me reassess the situation with the correct information provided.
If the sea gulls are predominantly preying on the solid brown snails (400 out of 500 empty shells), this would indicate that the brown snail population is being significantly reduced by the predation. As a result, over time, the population of solid brown snails would likely decrease, while the population of the brown and tan striped snails would have a higher chance of survival and reproduction since they are not being targeted as heavily.
Therefore, the most likely outcome would be:
- There would be mostly striped snails.