Consider the following food chain: plants are eaten by grasshoppers, which are eaten by mice, which are eaten by snakes. what will happen to snakes in the long term if mice become extinct? a. the number of snakes will increase temporarily, and then decrease. b. the number of snakes will decrease permanently, but they will not die out completely. c. the number of snakes will decrease temporarily and then increase. d. snakes will die out if they do not find an alternative food source.