After completing the Articles in the Unit 2 Lesson, I would like for us to discuss the concepts in this DB Forum. The Forum is gradable. Every participant is required to post a minimum of 2 times. One should be an original post that answers one of the questions posed bellow based on the material on the lessons. The second post should be a response to one of your fellow students. Please, avoid responses in the “I agree” or “I disagree” style, unless you back them up with an argument that propels the discussion forward. I will grade the BEST 2 posts. That means that if I grade your participation and you are not happy with your grade, you can always post again, and you might have a chance at improving your grade. The idea is to recreate a conversation like the ones we would have had if we were in a classroom or in a Zoom session.
Here are some of the questions that we want to discuss. For your Original Post, pick one of the questions. DO NOT CUT AND PASTE FROM THE INTERNET. I am interested in your words, your opinions, your take on things. I want to see you thinking in your post!!!! If you wanted to work on a question, but somebody already posted about it, pick another question for your original post, but you can then respond to the person that answered before you could.
My classmate question & response below ⬇️
5. Explain why Coyote dominated areas have higher incidence of Lyme disease infected Ticks than areas with more diverse predator populations.
Coyote-dominated areas often have higher incidences of Lyme disease-infected ticks compared to areas with more diverse predator populations due to various ecological factors. Coyotes are known to be effective predators of smaller mammals, such as deer, rodents, and rabbits. However, they are not as effective at controlling the populations of small mammals that are the primary hosts for ticks carrying Lyme disease.
In areas with a diverse predator population, there is a balance of predation pressure on different prey species. This balance helps regulate the population sizes of various small mammals, including those that serve as hosts for ticks. When there is a variety of predators, each specializing in different prey species, the overall density of small mammals are now reduced now, limiting the number of available hosts for ticks.