What happened to the predators in the mid 1950's in response to the decreased prey population? A. The predator population maintained its population level. B. The predator population sharply increased. C. The predator population decreased and then increased. D. The predator population sharply decreased.

The correct answer is letter D. The predator population sharply decreased when the prey population decreased in the 1950s. This is the normal cycle of how predator and prey relate to each other in balance of the ecosystem. A decrease in the prey population would result to predators lack of available food source which will cause them to starve to death. As a result, their population also dwindled.