Stork and Reaper Questions

1. Stork and Reaper Questions • 1. What happened to the water level/Why? What does this show us about population growth? • 2. Hypothesize would happen if the stork and the grim reaper kept dipping? • 3. What would this mean if the clear container really were the world? • 4. What size would the Grim Reaper’s dipper have to be for the water level to stay the same? • 5. Throughout history, the Stork and Grim Reaper’s real-life dippers were usually about the same size. But over the last 200 years, the Grim Reaper’s dipper has become much smaller than the Stork’s. Can you think of some reasons why the death rate has gone down in recent years? • 6. What is the carrying capacity of our classroom? Think about the following questions: How large is the room? How much space does each person take? How much space is taken by resources: tables, chairs, desks, etc.? How much open space is needed to make the class run smoothly? • Could you fit twice as many people as you have now in the classroom?

2. Squirrel Activity • Suppose two ground squirrels mated in the park and produced six offspring annually. • Assume all female members of each generation reproduce each year and there are no squirrel deaths. Also assume that half of the population is female therefore, the number of male and female squirrels is equal. 1. Calculate the number of offspring that will be reproduced every year forfiveconsecutive years. 2. Predict the size of the squirrel population in the park after 10 years. 4. Predict what would happen to the squirrels if they were unable to leave the park. (geographic boundary) 5. Predict what would happen to the plant population (food source) in the park. 6. Hypothesize why the Earth is not overrun with squirrels.

3. OH DEER! • Analysis Questions: Be specific use data from graph to support your all of your answers: 1. Where do you see competition in this lab? 2. What causes the deer population to decrease? What causes the deer population to increase? 3. What initially happened to the deer population when a predator was introduced? Why do you think this happened? 4. What initially happens to the source population when a deer predator is introduced? Why do you think this happened? 5. What are some limiting factors simulated in this activity? 6. What do you think is the deer carrying capacity for this activity- give a reason for your answers

4. Final assessment • How are carrying capacity and limiting factors related? • What kind of factors affect population size? (brainstorm at least 5) • Describe why/how each of these could be limiting factors • Water/food • Space to live • Predators • Disease • temperature