Extinction Virtual Lab
This activity can be found in your digital course.
Can you identify the causes of extinction events?
Record Data and Observations
Part 1
□1. On the first screen of the activity, read about the megapode that lives on the volcanic
island. In what ways might this species be vulnerable to a non-native predator?
□2. After increasing the population of the unidentified non-native predator and clicking the
Run button, identify the non-native predator that has been introduced to the island.
□3.
How do the graphs of the megapode and non-native predator populations over ten
years reflect the visual evidence of the predator’s impact on the megapode?
Part 2
□4. What does the animated snapshot suggest was the cause of this particular collapse of
the megapode population?
Extinction Virtual Lab • Copyright © by Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
Analyze and Conclude
1. Infer When did the extinction event begin?
2. Apply Scientific Reasoning The previous question describes the collapse of the
megapode population in Part 2 of the virtual lab as an “extinction event” even though one
megapode is still living on the island according to the data and the animated snapshot. Do
you think this description is accurate? Explain.
3. Apply Concepts Describe how the megapode, as a species, might adapt to each of the
threats depicted in this virtual lab, and how those adaptations would be passed down
through generations to sustain the species over a long period of time.
Extinction Virtual Lab • Copyright © by Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.