The Habitable Planet
Interactive Labs: Ecology Lab
Summative Assessment: Criteria E & F (Processing data & Attitudes in Science)
Name:
http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/interactives/ecology/index.php
The Producers: Step 1 (Primary Colonizers)
A. Given the two fictitious species of plants in the simulator, predict what will happen in this young
system and record your prediction:
B. Then run the simulator to 100 time steps and record the population numbers for both plants.
Plant A
Plant B
Starting
Step 10
Step 20
Step 30
Step 40
Step 50
Step 60
Step 70
Step 80
Step 90
Step 100
C. Create a scatter plot graph with a best fit line to represent your data:
D. What assumptions does this model make about co-dominance?
E. What assumptions does this model make about the general terrain of the environment?
F. Do you find one producer to be dominant? Why might one producer be dominant over another?
The Producers: Step 2
A. Click on herbivore A (the rabbit) and choose "eats plant A." Predict and record what will happen
to the population numbers in the ecosystem.
B. Then run the simulator to 100 time steps and record the population numbers for both plants.
Plant A
Plant B
Starting
Step 10
Step 20
Step 30
Step 40
Step 50
Step 60
Step 70
Step 80
Step 90
Step 100
C. Create a scatter plot graph with a best fit line to represent your data:
D. Does adding the herbivore establish a more equal field?
E. Is one producer still dominant over the other? Why might one producer be dominant over
another?
F. If the simulation included decomposers, how would your current results change?
G. How do producer population numbers with the presence of an herbivore compare to the
primary colonizer model?
H. What is the "competitive exclusion principle?"
I.
How do consumers aid diversity in an ecosystem?
Food Web: Step 1
A. Choose only one organism from each trophic level and make sure that the food chain goes in a
straight line from one trophic level to the next, i.e., Herbivore A eats Plant A, Omnivore A eats
Herbivore A, and the Top Predator eats Omnivore A. Let Plant B survive on its own and see what
happens. Record your predictions below:
Plant ?
Herbivore?
Omnivore?
Top Predator Plant B
Survive?
Increase/Decrease?
B. Run the simulator twice and record your data.
Plant ?
Herbivore?
Survive?
Increase/Decrease?
Plant ?
Herbivore?
Omnivore?
Top Predator
Plant B
Omnivore?
Top Predator
Plant B
Survive?
Increase/Decrease?
C. What differences were there between your prediction and the simulation?
D. Did any of the species increase in number? What could account for this increase?
E. Which species decreased in number and what might account for this decrease?
F. Which populat ions would benef it t he most f rom t he presence of decomposers?
Food Web: Step 2
A. This time click the "all on" button. The model shows who eats whom and the paths by which
energy is transferred. Predict which populations will die out, increase in numbers, or decrease in
numbers and record your predictions.
Plant
A
Plant
B
Plant
C
Herbivore A
Herbivore B
Herbivore C
Omnivore A
Omnivore B
Omnivore C
Top
Predator
Survive?
Increase/
Decrease
B. Run the simulation twice and record the results in your Data Table.
Plant
A
Plant
B
Plant
C
Herbivore A
Herbivore B
Herbivore C
Omnivore A
Omnivore B
Omnivore C
Top
Predator
Plant
A
Plant
B
Plant
C
Herbivore A
Herbivore B
Herbivore C
Omnivore A
Omnivore B
Omnivore C
Top
Predator
Survive?
Increase/
Decrease
Survive?
Increase/
Decrease
C. What differences were there between your prediction and the simulation?
D. Which way does energy flow?
E. How does eating an organism result in energy transfer?
Food Web: Step 3 (Key to Summative Assessment)
A. Modify who eats whom in order to ensure the survival of all species.
B. Create a chart below to record your food chains.
C. Create a data chart below to record your data on all species for a 100 run cycle. Make sure to
record your data for every 10 steps.
D. Create a scatter plot graph with a best fit line to represent your data.