Q9. A hypothetical grassland system contains two species of grass, two species of rodent that eat grass, and one species of snake that feeds on the rodents. Given the following competitive and feeding relationships, which scenario is the most likely?
Grass 1 outcompetes grass 2.
Rodent 1 outcompetes rodent 2.
Both rodents prefer grass 1, but will feed on grass 2 if grass 1 is unavailable.
The snake prefers to prey on rodent 1.
When the snake is present, rodent 2 is more abundant than rodent 1 and grass 2 is more abundant than grass 1.
When the snake is present, rodent 2 is more abundant than rodent 1 and total grass abundance is higher than it is when the snake is absent.
When the snake is absent, rodent 1 is more abundant than rodent 2 and total grass abundance is higher than when the snake is present.
When the snake is absent, rodent 2 is more abundant than rodent 1 and grass 1 competitively excludes grass 2 completely from the community.