ECOBEAKER: ISLE ROYALE
Name: ________________________
Background
1. Describe the setting for the current computer simulation.
Exercise One (see chapter 35)
1. Complete Exercise one. Identify the type of growth that is occurring in the
species represented. Explain your reasoning for choosing this type of growth.
2. What type of “species interaction” is being demonstrated by the interaction
between the moose and their food source? Explain.
3. Based on the interaction described above. Would you expect the predators in
this simulation to have those characteristics discussed on page 779 of your
book? Explain.
4. Based on the interaction described above. Would you expect the prey in this
simulation to have those characteristics discussed on page 779 of your book?
Explain.
Exercise Two
1. Complete exercise two. What happened to the carrying capacity of the
moose when you added extra moose to the island? Why? What type of
“density factors” are affecting the population in this situation (p772)?
Exercise Three
1. Complete exercise three. What happens to the carrying capacity of the island
for the moose after the arrival of the wolves? Explain why this happens.
2. Draw the graph of the moose and wolf populations over time making sure to
include two full cycle periods from both species. Which species reaches
greater population values? Why (p773)?
3. Which population grows first in the cycle? Explain why this occurs.
4. Explain why the population that rises first, decline later in the cycle?
Exercise Four
1. Complete exercise four. What is different between the energy level of the
moose with and without the wolves?
2. Identify the type of “species interaction” occurring between the individuals in
the moose population, describe the interaction, and explain using your
knowledge of this interaction why the introduction of wolves increase the
average energy level of the moose (p777-780).
3. Imagine that another herbivore (a deer) arrived on the same island and ate the
same food(s) that the moose ate. Identify the type of ‘species interaction’ that
would occur between them.
4. Based on the concepts of “competitive exclusion” and “niche” in your textbook
(p778), what are the two possible results from introduction of deer on the
island?
Homework
1. Identify, define, and give an example for each of the remaining species
interaction discussed in your textbook (those that you didn’t use in answers in
this packet previously).