A biologist studying a desert ecosystem observes that the population of a lizard species increases following a particularly hot, dry period that causes a snake population to decline. What could the biologist hypothesize about the roles of these two species?

·
The lizard preys on the snake.
·
The lizard is a parasite of the snake.
·
The snake and lizard use the same limiting resource.
· The snake is a keystone species in the ecosystem.

my answer is D

I think the snake may be a keystone species. If the snakes do not eat enough lizards the lizard population grows out of control.

.. is this for a test or for a PBA

Yes it is for the PBA but its useful info :)

The answer is the snake and lizard use the same limiting resource. Because

the lizard is out eating the food and the snakes arn`t because it is to hot for them so they are starving and the lizard are getting all of the food.

To hypothesize about the roles of the lizard and snake species based on the given information, we can consider the population dynamics and the relationship between the two species.

The fact that the lizard population increases following a particularly hot, dry period suggests that the lizard species benefits from these specific environmental conditions. On the other hand, the snake population declines during this period.

Based on this observation, a biologist could hypothetically propose that the lizard preys on the snake, resulting in a decrease in the snake population. This hypothesis suggests that the lizard benefits from the decline in the snake population, potentially as a result of reduced competition for resources or reduced predation risk.

So, the correct answer to this question would be A) The lizard preys on the snake.

It's important to note that this is just one possible hypothesis based on the given information. To confirm or test this hypothesis, additional research, such as direct observation or experimentation, would be needed.