Preview - Modeling Ecosystems Computationally

Updating our Isle Royale Predictions

In this lesson we will look at the wolf and moose ecosystem on Isle Royale again. In an earlier lesson, you thought about why the numbers of wolves and moose might change over time. Now, we will make more predictions about this ecosystem.

Look at this table showing the wolf and moose population sizes in 2011 and answer the questions below.

  Population Size
Wolves 16
Moose 515

 

Questions

Please answer the questions below.

Do you think the number of wolves will increase, decrease, or stay the same in the future?

Increase
Decrease
Stay the same

Do you think the number of moose will increase, decrease, or stay the same in the future?

Increase
Decrease
Stay the same

Are you confident in your predictions? Why or why not?

How do you think we could test predictions like these?

Notes

These notes will appear on every page in this lesson so feel free to put anything here you'd like to keep track of.