Balancing disease, predators, and food for population growth

Steps:

• Disease and predators reduce population by increasing mortality; food supply boosts it by supporting more individuals.
• Decrease in disease lowers death rates, favoring growth.
• Decrease in predators reduces losses, favoring growth.
• Increase in food enhances reproduction and survival, favoring growth.
• Option B combines all positive changes for maximum net growth.

Why B is correct:

• B decreases mortality factors (disease, predators) while increasing resources (food), aligning with ecological carrying capacity where low threats and high resources maximize population size.

Why the others are wrong:

• A: Increased predators offset gains from decreased disease and more food, limiting net growth.
• C: Increased disease and decreased food outweigh reduced predators, causing decline.
• D: All changes (more disease, more predators, less food) drive population decrease.

Final answer: B