Question

Which of the following cause of mortality is most likely to be density-independent?

A. Competition for food
B. Disease
C. Fire

Answer 1

The most likely density-independent cause of mortality among the options given is C. Fire, as it affects population mortality regardless of population density.

Step-by-step explanation:

The cause of mortality most likely to be density-independent among the options A. Competition for food, B. Disease, and C. Fire is C. Fire. Density-independent factors typically include physical or chemical elements, such as weather, natural disasters, and pollution, that affect a population's mortality regardless of its density.

Thus, a forest fire will cause mortality whether the population density of an affected species is high or low; its impact does not depend on the number of individuals in the area.