Which Density-Dependent Process Contributed Most Significantly to the Recovery of the North

Multiple Choice

Which density-dependent process contributed most significantly to the recovery of the North American monarch butterfly population after the severe winter losses of 2002?

A) Unusually mild weather in the eastern United States greatly improved juvenile butterfly survival.
B) Butterfly predators starved when the monarch population dropped, and by the time it had recovered, Monarch population numbers were back up.
C) Egg production is inversely proportional to density; the surviving monarchs had ample resources and experienced maximal reproduction.
D) With fewer returning adults, there was less competition for food among the young caterpillars, and their survival rate was unusually high.