Predator/Prey Lab
I.PURPOSE:
The purpose of this lab is to observe the relationships between predator and prey
populations, and the resulting population dynamics that affect each population.
II.MATERIALS:
1) predators (spoon) = fox
2) prey (beans) = mice
3) habitat (bowl) = field
4) blindfold
III.PROCEDURE:
RULES: -surviving mice of each generation always double in number
-maximum mouse population = 200 mice
-there must be at least 10 mice at the start of each generation (thru immigration)
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-there must be at least 1 fox at the start of each generation
-each fox must catch at least 3 mice to survive (on average)
-each fox must catch 5 mice to reproduce (1 offspring for every 5 mice)
1) place 10 mice in field
2) make one pass through bowl with spoon and count number of beans
captured
(1 pass counts as one generation for one fox)
(the number of passes = the number of foxes at start of generation)
3) record the number of mice captured
record number of mice remaining (this number is prey survived)
number of mice remaining is equal to the number prey offspring
add the number of prey survived to the number of prey offspring-this is the initial prey
for the next generation
4) for each fox, you will make 1 pass with spoon
for each fox (pass) place mice captured in separate pile
for each individual pile, if there is more than three beans, the fox survives
record the number of survivors (this number is predators survived)
for each individual pile, every 5 mice captured means the fox can produce 1 offspring
(5-9 mice = 1 offspring; 10-14 = 2 offspring; 15-19 = 3 offspring)
record the number of offspring (this number is predator offspring)
add the number of predators survived to the number of predator offspring-this is the
number of initial predators for the next generation
5) record data on data table
6) add foxes and mice according to rules
7) repeat for 20 generations
8) graph # of initial prey (abundance) and # of initial predators (abundance) for each of
the 20 generations (use different scales for prey and predator)
IV.DATA TABLES :
Generation
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Initial prey
Prey captured
Prey survived
Prey offspring
Initial predators
Predators survived
Predator offspring
200
20
150
15
Initial Prey
Initial predators
100
10
50
5
0
0
V.GRAPHS-use graph paper and attach to lab
VI.CONCLUSION
For the following list of terms, explain if/how each
term applies to this activity
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Energy flow
Trophic levels
Energy transfer
Predation
Competition: inter-, intra
Interspecific interactions
Symbiosis: types
Niche
Coevolution
Camouflage
Mimicry
Disease
Dominant/keystone species
Population
Mortality/natality
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Immigration/emigration
Population density/dispersion
Exponential/logistic growth
rmax, K
K selection, r selection
Survivorship curves
Opportunistic/equilibrial life history
Boom and bust cycles
Biotic potential
Environmental resistance
Density-dependent/independent populations
Food supply
Territoriality
Habitat
Biotic/abiotic factors
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