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Biology COE Task Version
September 2014
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The Moths and the Trees
The Forest Ecosystem diagram shows part of a forest ecosystem. Tussock moths are
native to the forest ecosystem. In the fall, tussock moths lay eggs on Douglas fir trees.
In the spring, tussock moth larvae eat the needles of the Douglas fir trees.
Moths and Trees COE Task Example
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Biology COE Task Version
September 2014
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3. If the tussock moth population increases rapidly, trees that people want to use can be
damaged. One solution is to use a pesticide that kills moths to keep the moths from
damaging trees.
a) Describe two possible unintended consequences of using pesticides to remove the
tussock moth.
In your description, be sure to:
 Describe two unintended consequences of using pesticides to remove the
tussock moth.
 Describe how each unintended consequence could affect another organism in the
forest ecosystem.
One unintended consequence:
Another unintended consequence:
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Biology COE Task Version
September 2014
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Task Title: The Moths and the Trees
Item number: 3
Performance Description
A 2-point response demonstrates the student understands:
Content Standard APPE: Perfect solutions do not exist. All technological solutions involve trade-offs
in which decisions to include more of one quality means less of another. All solutions involve
consequences, some intended, others not.
Item Specification 1: Describe trade-offs and/or unintended consequences for one or more given
solution(s) to a given technological design problem.
Item and example response
Points
APPE(1)
a) The response describes two possible unintended consequences of using pesticides to
remove the tussock moth by:
 Describing two unintended consequences of using pesticides to remove the tussock
moth AND
 Describing how each unintended consequence could affect another organism in the
forest ecosystem.
Examples:
Describes unintended consequence
Describes change in another organism
Water is polluted/pesticide gets into
Fish/aquatic insects/aquatic plants are
water
sick/killed
Air is polluted by the pesticide
Other insects/birds/animals get sick/killed
Pesticide kills insects other than tussock
moth
There is less food for the predators of those
other insects
Less food/habitat is available for animals who
use those plants
The pesticide in small organisms kills/harms
predators of those organisms
Some plants are harmed by the pesticide
2
Biomagnification/pesticide builds up in
food chain
Trees grow bigger and produce more
Smaller plants are not able to grow in the shade
shade since no moths are eating them
Note: Responses describing one unintended consequence of using pesticides and describing
how that unintended consequence would cause a change in another part of the forest
ecosystem may be credited one point.
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Biology COE Task Version
September 2014
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Student Responses
Response A
One unintended consequence:
One unintended consequence of using pesticides to kill moths is that if the moths
die off, there will be less food for the animals that eat the moths. Animals such
as small birds or ground mammals may die off as well from lack of food.
Another unintended consequence:
Pesticides could get into the water of the stream and contaminate it (stream).
Then plants and animals that drink the water could become poisoned and die.
Response B
One unintended consequence:
One unintended consequence is that the birds or other animals will lose their
food causing a chain reaction in the food chain.
Another unintended consequence:
Second if a bird eats a moth that is infected with the Pesticides it (pesticides)
will cause biological magnification through the food chain until the parts per
million is deadly for the apex preditor.
Response C
One unintended consequence:
It (pesticides) could kill out all of the moth’s then the Bird’s cant feed on the
moth’s
Another unintended consequence:
what if the pesticide kill alot of the other speicis in the forest not just the
moth.
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Biology COE Task Version
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Response D
One unintended consequence:
Using an pesticide may kill off all of the moths leaving the moth’s predators with
no food. If their (moth’s) predators have no food they (the moth predators) will
become weak and die off.
Another unintended consequence:
Also it (pesticide) may harm other species inhabiting the trees such as squirrels,
birds, etc.
Response E
One unintended consequence:
All of the moths will die or have the poison on them (moths) and get into the
water supply. That (poison) will pollute the water and kill the animals that drink it
(polluted water).
Another unintended consequence:
All the moths will be gone and no more will be reproduced. This means that the
birds will die because their (birds) food source will be gone.
Response F
One unintended consequence:
The pesticide may be a harzard for the other living things in the forest
ecosystem. It (pesticides) could kill other plants.
Another unintended consequence:
The pesticide could kill other animals. And be a harzard to other animals in the
forest.
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Response G
One unintended consequence:
If you (student) kill the moths then that could stop reproduction and the moths
could die.
Another unintended consequence:
Another sort of insect could take over the trees and you would have to keep
killing them (insects) off.
Response H
One unintended consequence:
The pesticides could run into streams and other bodies of water polluting it
(bodies of water). This could kill organisms in the water, effecting the
ecosystem.
Another unintended consequence:
The pesticides could kill other insects that are important, thus altering the
ecosystem.
Response I
One unintended consequence:
A unintended consequence would be harming the plant life (mainly trees) because
the pesticide is a poison. This would also lead to the loss of habitat for many
other species (birds, and so forth).
Another unintended consequence:
Another unintended consequence would be poisoning other animals. Pesticide is a
poison could also kill other other animals that live in trees. This would decrease
prey and/or preditors.
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