Biology

Understand the impact of drought on the food web:

A drought means that there is less water available. In a grassland ecosystem, grasses and shrubs are plants that rely on water to grow. With less rain, the growth of grasses and shrubs will be affected. There will be less food available for the primary consumers (herbivores) that depend on these plants.

Analyze the effect on different trophic levels:

Producers (grasses and shrubs): The lack of water will lead to a decrease in the growth and survival of grasses and shrubs. Their numbers will likely reduce.

Primary consumers (deer and mice): With less food (grasses and shrubs), the populations of deer and mice will decline because they won't have enough to eat. Deer rely on grasses, and mice rely on both grasses and shrubs.

Secondary consumers (hawks, snakes, and mountain lions): As the populations of primary consumers (mice and deer) decrease, there will be less food for the secondary consumers. Hawks that eat mice, snakes that eat mice, and mountain lions that eat deer will have less food available. Their populations will also decline.