In a New Zealand native beech forest ecosystem, a mast seeding year produces an immense abundance of beech seeds. What cascading ecological consequence typically unfolds over the following two years?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Predator populations irrupt rapidly, then switch to preying heavily on native forest birds
- Step 1: Step 1: Mast seeding floods the forest floor with nutritious beech seeds, triggering an explosion in mouse and ship rat populations, which in turn fuels a surge in stoat numbers. Step 2. Step 2: When seeds germinate or rot, rodent numbers crash. Starving stoats and rats switch their diet to vulnerable native birds, eggs, and bats, causing catastrophic breeding failures without predator control. Answer: Predator populations irrupt rapidly, then switch to preying heavily on native forest birds. Why not the others: This boom-and-bust cycle is a major conservation challenge in Aotearoa.
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