1. DO NOW:
Can predators have an impact on the whole community, or just on the organism it is hunting? Explain.
What about on the ecosystem?

2. The absence of the wolves in Yellowstone National Park severely impacted the ecosystem. Many changes occurred from the loss of this predator.
The wolves are considered a keystone species. How would you define a keystone species?
Keystone species is a species that has a disproportionally large effect on its environment
Compared to its relative abundance. When a keystone species is removed from a system,
The ecosystem may change drastically, even if the species removed was a small part of the Ecosystem.
A Changing Ecosystem

3. PREDATOR-PREY SIMULATION LAB: A CLOSE LOOK AT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PREDATOR AND PREY
SIMULATE THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN A PREDATOR POPULATION OF FOXES AND A PREY POPULATION OF RABBITS
ORGANIZE DATA IN TABLE AND GRAPH FORMAT
COMPARE SIMULATION DATA TO DATA TAKEN FROM NATURE, AND REFLECT UPON LAB PROCEDURE AND NATURE

4. QUESTIONS TO PONDER DURING THE LAB…
What effect does the available food source have on population?
What influence will the prey population have on the predator population? Vice versa?
Can you see a pattern occurring between the predator and prey population?
Do the lab….

5. MEET THE INDIVIDUALS OF EACH POPULATION
Predator – Fox
Prey – Rabbit
Habitat - Meadow

6. Assumptions RABBIT ABOUT THE…. FOX Must capture 3 rabbits to survive
Produce 1 offspring for every three rabbits capture
A fox only immigrates if none left in meadow
Captured ones die
Surviving ones reproduce and double
Meadow carrying capacity is 100
Assumptions

7. Refer to lab when in doubt
IMPORTANT NOTES
Determine fox survival and reproduction using individual fox capture numbers.
As population builds, it is important to tally each fox’s kills, removing captured rabbits after each fox is tossed.
If fox captures 7 rabbits, three foxes enter next generation, original fox and two offspring for that one fox.
Refer to lab when in doubt