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What would happen to a population of rabbits if the number of foxes, a predator of rabbits, increased?

Answer 1

Assuming no other ecosystem changes, the rabbit population will (likely) decrease.

There needs to be an increase in the fox population's food supply.

Rabbits must be the source of this increase if all other populations stay stable.

My answer's qualifier ("likely") is predicated on the idea that the population of rabbits may have reached its maximum sustainable level at that point, in which case an increase in fox-caused rabbit deaths would only partially offset deaths from other causes (such attrition).

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Answer 2

Hudson Ansley

If the number of foxes, a predator of rabbits, increased, it would likely lead to a decrease in the rabbit population due to increased predation pressure. This decrease in rabbits could potentially disrupt the balance of the ecosystem, affecting other species dependent on rabbits for food and potentially leading to changes in the overall ecosystem dynamics.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.