Go Fish!

Why are we doing this activity?

 The number of organisms of one species that an environment can support indefinitely. Carrying Capacity

 Limiting factor- any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence of organisms in a specific environment. (keeps the population from increasing)  Light, nutrients, food, water, etc.)  Disease  Competition  Habitat Size/Crowding  Weather Limiting Factors

 The class will be split into two groups.  One group will “become” fish.  The other group will “become” the components of the aquatic habitat.  We will use hand gestures to indicate the different components of the habitat. What are we going to do?

Food

Shelter

Space

 At the beginning of each round, each “fish” decides what it will need. At the same time, each “component of the habitat” decides which component it will be that round.  Each student will make the appropriate hand gesture.  Choose carefully because you CANNOT change your hand gesture during the round. How do we “play?”

 When you hear, “Go Fish,” everyone will turn around and the “fish” will look for what they “need.” The “components of the habitat” CANNOT move.  Fish that find what they need, survive to reproduce. (The component will become a fish for the next round.)  Fish that do not find what they need, will die and their “remains” are recycled by decomposers and become components of the habitat for the next round. How do we “win?”

 You will need to keep track of the fish population.  Copy the following tables into your journal.  At the end of this activity you will need to graph your results AND answer the CONCLUSION questions. DATA

YearFish Population SizeComponent Population Size Copy this data table!

 Explain what this graph is telling you about how the population of fish and the amount of components interact with each other. Summary of graph

 1. Identify three essential components of a habitat.  2. How do these components influence carrying capacity? Conclusion Questions

 3. Define “limiting factors.”  4. What are some limiting factors that affect the survival of animals? Limiting Factors

 5. How do factors affect competition within a species?  6. What three things might happen to the less competitive organism? Competition

 7. Are wildlife populations static, or do they tend to fluctuate as part of an overall “balance” of nature?  8. Look at your graph. What factors may have caused population changes from year to year. Identify the specific “years” from your graph in your answer.  9. What are the advantages and limitations of this model?