Population Dynamic Lab Report
Purpose: Analyze graphs to determine the population size of two marine species.
Explain how predation, birth, and death rates impact marine populations.
Describe how biotic and abiotic factors influence marine populations.
Research: 1. Prey Initial Size: The starting number of prey. (Assume that the seals have an unlimited amount of food.)
2. Prey Growth Rate: The birth rate of the prey. The larger the growth rate, the faster the prey population will increase.
3. Predator Initial Size: The starting number of predators.
4. Predator Death Rate: The death rate of the predators. A larger death rate means predators will die out quicker.
5. Capture Efficiency: This number represents the ability of the predator to capture the prey over some time interval. A larger value for this parameter means that the predators have a better chance of capturing prey.
Hypothesis: Prediction 1: If the starting population of the prey is higher than the predators, the resulting population of seals will be lower than the population of the whales. Prediction 2: If the starting population of the predators is higher than the prey, the resulting population of the whales will be higher than the population of the seals. …show more content…
2. Using Table 2 and 3, explain how the birth rates of the seals and the death rates of the whales affected the population for both whales and seals.
The birth rate of the seals will decrease of the capacity that they carry, so this will cause the Whales rate to increase. However, the death rate of the Whales will increase when both mammals population.
3. Climate change (an abiotic factor) has slowly decreased habitat for the arctic seals. Predict how a reduction in habitat could change the capture efficiency of the killer whales. How would this affect the carrying capacities for both the whales and the seals?
This will affect both capacities of whales and seals because the Whale population will increase, and because the seals produce a little faster, they will decrease because their habitat will slow down at this point and will be easy to consume.
4. If another source of prey were available to the whales, what changes in population size would you expect for the seals and the
Purpose: Analyze graphs to determine the population size of two marine species.
Explain how predation, birth, and death rates impact marine populations.
Describe how biotic and abiotic factors influence marine populations.
Research: 1. Prey Initial Size: The starting number of prey. (Assume that the seals have an unlimited amount of food.)
2. Prey Growth Rate: The birth rate of the prey. The larger the growth rate, the faster the prey population will increase.
3. Predator Initial Size: The starting number of predators.
4. Predator Death Rate: The death rate of the predators. A larger death rate means predators will die out quicker.
5. Capture Efficiency: This number represents the ability of the predator to capture the prey over some time interval. A larger value for this parameter means that the predators have a better chance of capturing prey.
Hypothesis: Prediction 1: If the starting population of the prey is higher than the predators, the resulting population of seals will be lower than the population of the whales. Prediction 2: If the starting population of the predators is higher than the prey, the resulting population of the whales will be higher than the population of the seals. …show more content…
2. Using Table 2 and 3, explain how the birth rates of the seals and the death rates of the whales affected the population for both whales and seals.
The birth rate of the seals will decrease of the capacity that they carry, so this will cause the Whales rate to increase. However, the death rate of the Whales will increase when both mammals population.
3. Climate change (an abiotic factor) has slowly decreased habitat for the arctic seals. Predict how a reduction in habitat could change the capture efficiency of the killer whales. How would this affect the carrying capacities for both the whales and the seals?
This will affect both capacities of whales and seals because the Whale population will increase, and because the seals produce a little faster, they will decrease because their habitat will slow down at this point and will be easy to consume.
4. If another source of prey were available to the whales, what changes in population size would you expect for the seals and the