Preview - From Ecosystems To Speciation

Resources and Carrying Capacity

Now, you will run an investigation about how different levels of resources in the ecosystem affects carrying capacity for the bug population. The model allows you to setup two ecosystems.

  • Make sure that both ecosystems (left and right) have no birds.
  • On the left, set up an ecosystem with 50% grassland.  On the right, set up an ecosystem with 100% grassland.
  • Determine values of other variables that you will keep constant. Ensure that all variable values are the same on the right and left side, except for the amount of grassland.
  • Setup and re-run the model a few times until you feel like you have generated enough evidence to reliably claim that the carrying capacity for the bugs and for the bugs are the same, slightly different or noticeably different in the two ecosystems.

Questions

Please answer the questions below.

How does the carrying capacity in the left ecosystem (50% grassland) compare to the carrying capacity in the right ecosystem (100% grassland)?

The left ecosystem has a higher carrying capacity
The two ecosystems have a similar carrying capacity
The left ecosystem has a lower carrying capacity

In the previous activities, you saw how carrying capacity can be the result of balancing birth and death rates in a population.  Based on this, explain your observations about the carrying capacity in the two ecosystems.

Based on your previous answer, how do you think the carrying capacity of the bug population would change if another species that eats grass was added to the ecosystem?

It will increase
It will stay roughly the same
It will decrease

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.