Colorado Agriscience Curriculum

Section Animal Science

Unit Unit 7: Animal Behavior and Environment

Lesson Title Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments

Agricultural Education StandardsStandard AGS 11/12.3 The student will demonstrate an understanding of physiological processes in agriculturally important animals.

Enabler AGS 11/12.3.37 Describe how animals adapt to their environments and how that affects management practices.

Science StandardsStandard SCI 3.0 Life Sciences: The students know and understand the characteristics and structure of living things, processes of life and how living things interact with each other and with their environment.

Competency SCI 3.1 Students know and understand the characteristics of living things, the diversity of life, and how things interact with each other and with the environment.

Competency SCI 3.12 Predicting and describing the interactions of populations and ecosystems.

Competency SCI 3.14 Explaining how changes in an ecosystem can affect biodiversity and how biodiversity contributes to an ecosystem’s stability.

Competency SCI 3.15 Analyzing the dynamic equilibrium of ecosystems, including interactions among living and nonliving components.

Student Learning Objectives (Enablers)As a result of this lesson, the student will …1. Students will be able to define carrying capacity and describe how it relates to an

ecosystem and population.2. Students will describe relationships between species in relation to feeding, energy and

survival3. Students will create and understand a food web with basic animals.

Time Instruction time for this lesson: 50 minutes.Resources

http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/kaibab.html (Lesson of the Kiabab)

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 1

Biology, the Dynamics of Life Textbook http://www.bigelow.org/edhab/fitting_algae.html (Food Chain and Web Info.) http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/food/arctic_activity.html (Food Web Games) http://www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/fw/watch/owls_food.html (Owl Food Chain)

Tools, Equipment, and Supplies Graph Paper Lesson of the Kiabab Worksheets Powerpoint Presentation / Equipment for Viewing Notes worksheets, Flow of Energy Handouts

Key Terms. The following terms are presented in this lesson and appear in bold italics:Carrying capacity, Autotrophs, Predator-prey, Heterotrophs, Commensalisms, Omnivores, Mutualism, Herbivores, Parasitism, Carnivores, Scavengers, Decomposers

Interest Approach

What would happen if the school superintendent required for there to be 100 kids in every classroom for every period of the day? The classrooms would be overcrowded. What implications would it have? (Not enough desks, chairs, restrooms, materials to learn) Would we be successful in learning? (No! We would be beyond our carrying capacity!) You have just explained to me one the many concepts we’ll learn about today. The concepts we’ll study are important because they affect us and the environment around us.

Summary of Content and Teaching Strategies

Objective 1. Students will be able to define carrying capacity and describe how it relates to an ecosystem and population.

If you have posters of wildlife species, this is a good time to display them for your class.

Wildlife Management is one area of agriculture that is rapidly growing. Specialists in this area spend much of their time managing animal populations to ensure that the ecosystem they live in is protected. Scientists have discovered, through a series of experiments, that population size does have a limit. Factors such as food and space determine how many animals a given ecosystem can support. It’s important that we know this definition:(Write on the board)

Carrying capacity: The number of organisms of a population that a particular environment can support over an indefinite period of time.

When populations are under carrying capacity, births exceed deaths until capacity is reached. If the population overshoots capacity, deaths will temporarily exceed births until the population is stable again. This seems simple enough, but in reality, there are a lot of factors that complicate this process. In the next twenty minutes, I would like you

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 2

and a partner to become wildlife specialists and complete a case study called the Lesson of the Kiabab. You will need to graph some population data and analyze the situation. You each need to produce a graph; however, only one worksheet needs to be completed. You’ll find graph paper in the back of the room. Go investigate!

Objective 2. Students will describe relationships between species in relation to feeding, energy and survival

Did you know that in some sub-tropical regions of the world, there are acacia trees that have worked out a great deal with a particular species of ant? The ant protects the tree by attacking any herbivore that tries to feed on it and cleans vegetation away from the trunk. The tree provides nectar and a home for the ants. This is what we call mutualism. It’s a type of relationship we find in nature in which both species benefit. This is just one example of the relationships we’ll study today. We can’t understand wildlife until we understand some of the types of relationships they have formed. As we talk about these relationships, you’ll record them on the Special Relationships Worksheet. After we record information about each relationship, we’ll brainstorm together about some common examples of this relationship.

Use Powerpoint Presentation to review this information. Worksheet and worksheet key follow later in lesson. After each definition, ask the students for an example before clicking again to make the example come up on the screen. At the end of the presentation, have the students turn to the person next to them and quiz them on the terms they recorded on their worksheets.

SLIDE #2Special Relationships in WildlifeI. Many relationships are formed around organisms obtaining energy through

feeding.a. Autotrophs: Organisms that use energy from the sun or energy stored in

chemical compounds to manufacture food.i. Plants

ii. Some single cell organisms.

SLIDE #3b. Heterotrophs: Organisms that depend on autotrophs as their source of

nutrients and energy.i. Consumers – can’t make their own food.

ii. Herbivores: Feed directly on autotrophs1. cattle, rabbits, grasshoppers

iii. Carnivores: Eat other Heterotrophs1. lions

SLIDE #4iv. Scavengers: Some feed on carrion, refuse and dead

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 3

1. black vultures, buzzards, ants, beetlesv. Omnivores: Organisms that eat a variety of foods that include both

plant and animals materials.1. Humans, raccoons, coyotes, bears

vi. Decomposers: break down the complex compounds of dead and decaying plants and animals.

1. Bacteria, fungi, protozoan

SLIDE #5II. Other relationships are formed around organisms for survival

a. Predator-prey: Some animals must kill others for food for survivali. Lions kill gazelle & wildebeests

SLIDE #6b. Symbiosis: A close and permanent association between organisms of

different species.i. Commensalisms: one species benefits and the other species is neither

harmed nor benefited.1. Spanish moss growing on a tree

ii. Mutualism: Both species benefit.1. Ants on the acacia tree

iii. Parasitism: One organism derives benefit at the expense on another, but without killing it.

a. Fleas, ticks, tapeworms, roundwormsObjective 3. Students will create and understand a food web with basic animals.

When you pick an apple from a tree and eat it, you are consuming carbon, nitrogen and other elements the tree has used to produce the fruit. That apple also contains energy from the sunlight trapped by the tree’s leaves while the apple was growing and ripening.

This example reminds us that matter and energy are constantly cycling through stable ecosystems. Ecologists study interactions, such as the ones we just talked about, to trace the flow of matter and energy through ecosystems. They chart their findings through food chains and food webs.

On the Flow of Energy handout I gave you, you’ll see an example of a food chain on the left and a food web on the right. A food chair is a linear depiction of energy flow. A food web shows the multiple interactions among the different types of organisms. Food webs are generally more realistic in portraying the energy flow in a system because most organisms eat more than one type of food and can be eaten by several predators. The examples you have is a typical food chain and web of a deciduous forest. Grasshoppers eat the grass; mice eat the grasshoppers; and owls eat the mice. The web is more complicated, and it is even missing many links, for simplicity’s sake. The arrows in these images indicate the direction of energy flow.

(After discussing the handout with the above dialog, students should use a computer for the following activity.)

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 4

In the next 5-10 minutes, you will each visit the website listed on your worksheet to practice making food webs. Play the three food web games: Meadow Food Web, Artic Food Web, Pond Food Web. After you have practiced, you will come back and draw your own food web with the animals listed at the bottom of your page. (Students may need help with this if they are not familiar with the diets of the animals)

If you have extra time, work on committing the vocabulary from earlier to memory for a short quiz before we leave today.

Review/Summary.

Use the attached quiz over vocabulary for review by allowing students to complete it with their notes. Then use version 2 of the quiz for students to complete without their notes for a grade. The information is the same but the order has been changed and mixed up.

ApplicationExtended classroom activity:

Visit this website: www.vtaide.com/png/foodweb.htm so students can create a graphic image of a food web and print it.

Have students create a poster that includes an agricultural food web, for example, draw one with humans, cattle, dogs, cats, grains, grass, etc.

FFA activity: Use the food web concept to graph out dependency of officers on each other for

leadership attributes, support and success. Have students draw their own web of dependency.

Evaluation. Version 2 of the quiz should be graded for credit. It is a variation of the first version, using the principle of repetition to learn vocabulary.

Answers to Assessment:

Keys for the worksheets follow them.

Version 1 Quiz Answers1. F2. J3. D4. L5. G6. A7. B8. H9. C10. I

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 5

11. E12. K

Version 2 Quiz Answers1. A2. E3. H4. F5. D6. J7. B8. L9. G10. K11. I12. C

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 6

Case Study: The Lesson of the Kaibab

Names _____________________________ ______________________________________The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is the maximum number of organisms that an area can

support on a sustained basis. The density of a population may produce such profound changes in the environment that the environment becomes unsuitable for the survival of that species. For instance, overgrazing of land may make the land unable to support the grazing of animals that

lived there.

Background

Before 1905, the deer on the Kaibab Plateau were estimated to number about 4000. The average carrying capacity of the range was then estimated to be about 30,000 deer. On November 28th, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve to protect the "finest deer herd in America. "Unfortunately, by this time the Kaibab forest area had already been overgrazed by sheep, cattle, and horses. Most of the tall grasses had been eliminated. The first step to protect the deer was to ban all hunting. In addition, in 1907, The Forest Service tried to exterminate the predators of the deer. Between 1907 and 1939, 816 mountain lions, 20 wolves, 7388 coyotes and more than 500 bobcats were killed.

Signs that the deer population was out of control began to appear as early as 1920 - the range was beginning to deteriorate rapidly. The Forest Service reduced the number of livestock grazing permits. By 1923, the deer were reported to be on the verge of starvation and the range conditions were described as "deplorable."

The Kaibab Deer Investigating Committee recommended that all livestock not owned by local residents be removed immediately from the range and that the number of deer be cut in half as quickly as possible. Hunting was reopened, and during the fall of 1924, 675 deer were killed by hunters. However, these deer represented only one-tenth the number of deer that had been born that spring. Over the next two winters, it is estimated that 60,000 deer starved to death.

Today, the Arizona Game Commission carefully manages the Kaibab area with regulations geared to specific local needs. Hunting permits are issued to keep the deer in balance with their range. Predators are protected to help keep herds in balance with food supplies. Tragic winter losses can be checked by keeping the number of deer near the carrying capacity of the range.

DATA

1. Graph the deer population data. Place time on the X axis and "number

of deer" on the Y axis

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments

DATA TABLE

Year Deer Population

1905 4,000

1910 9,000

1915 25,000

1920 65,000

1924 100,000

1925 60,000

1926 40,000

1927 37,000

1928 35,000

1929 30,000

1930 25,000

1931 20,000

1935 18,000

1939 10,000

7

Analysis

1. During 1906 and 1907, what two methods did the Forest Service use to protect the Kaibab deer?

 

2. Were these methods successful? Use the data from your graph to support your answer.

 

3. Why do you suppose the population of deer declined in 1925, although the eliminated of predators occurred?

 

4. Why do you think the deer population size in 1900 was 4,000 when it is estimated that the plateau has a carrying capacity of 30,000?

 

5. Why did the deer population decline after 1924?

 

6. Based on these lessons, suggest what YOU would have done in the following years to manage deer herds.

1915:

 

1923:

 

7. It is a criticism of many population ecologists that the pattern of population increase and subsequent crash of the deer population would have occurred even if the bounty had not been placed on the predators. Do you agree or disagree with this statement. Explain your reasoning.

 

 

8. What future management plans would you suggest for the Kaibab deer herd?

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 8

Lesson of the Kaibab KeyAnalysis

1. During 1906 and 1907, what two methods did the Forest Service use to protect the

Kaibab deer?

  Ban all deer hunting, exterminate predators

2. Were these methods successful? Use the data from your graph to support your answer.

  Yes in the short term. No in the long term because the population got out of control.

3. Why do you suppose the population of deer declined in 1925, although the eliminated of

predators occurred?

  Deer were starving to death.

4. Why do you think the deer population size in 1900 was 4,000 when it is estimated that

the plateau has a carrying capacity of 30,000?

  Because the area had been overgrazed by sheep and cattle.

5. Why did the deer population decline after 1924?

  The population was over carrying capacity.

6. Based on these lessons, suggest what YOU would have done in the following years to

manage deer herds.

1915: Reinstated some hunting, allow some predators.

  1923: Increase hunting and natural predators.

7. It is a criticism of many population ecologists that the pattern of population increase and

subsequent crash of the deer population would have occurred even if the bounty had not

been placed on the predators. Do you agree or disagree with this statement. Explain your

reasoning.

   Student opinion

8. What future management plans would you suggest for the Kaibab deer herd?

  Student opinion

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 9

Special Relationships in Wildlife Worksheet

Name _______________________________ Date ________________________

Type Definition ExamplesAutotrophs

Heterotrophs

Herbivores

Carnivores

Scavengers

Omnivores

Decomposers

Predator-prey relationships

Symbiosis

Commensalisms

Mutualism

Parasitism

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 10

Special Relationships in Wildlife Key

Name _______________________________ Date ________________________

Type Definition ExamplesAutotrophs Organisms that use energy from the sun or energy

stored in chemical compounds to manufacture food.

PlantsSome single cell organisms.

Heterotrophs Organisms that depend on autotrophs as their source of nutrients and energy.

Humans

Herbivores Feed directly on autotrophs cattle, rabbits, grasshoppers

Carnivores Eat other Heterotrophs lions

Scavengers Feed on carrion, refuse and dead black vultures, buzzards, ants, beetles

Omnivores Organisms that eat a variety of foods that include both plant and animals materials.

Humans, raccoons, coyotes, bears

Decomposers Break down the complex compounds of dead and decaying plants and animals.

Bacteria, fungi, protozoans

Predator-prey relationships

Some animals must kill others for food for survival

Lions kill wildebeests

Symbiosis A close and permanent association between organisms of different species.

Falcons protect geese during nesting

Commensalisms One species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor benefited.

Spanish moss growing on a tree

Mutualism Both species benefit Ants on the acacia tree

Parasitism One organism derives benefit at the expense on another, but without killing it.

Fleas, ticks, tapeworms, roundworms

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 11

The Flow of Energy Handout

Matter and energy are constantly cycling through stable ecosystems. Ecologists study interactions to trace the flow of matter and energy through ecosystems. They chart their findings through food chains and food webs.

This is a typical food chain and web of a deciduous forest. Grasshoppers eat the grass; mice eat the grasshoppers; and owls eat the mice. The arrows in these images indicate the direction of energy flow.

Food ChainA food chair is a linear depiction of energy flow.

Visit this website: http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/food/food_menu.htmlPlay the three food web games: Meadow Food Web, Artic Food Web, Pond Food Web.They are quick click and drag games that help students understand the correct order of a food web.

Create your own food web! On the back of this paper, create your own food web with these organisms: Owl, Weasel, Snowshoe Hare, Mouse, Green Plants, Grouse, Insects, Shrew, Bat

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 12

Food Web

A food web shows the multiple interactions among the different types of organisms. Food webs are generally more realistic in portraying the energy flow in a system because most organisms eat more than one type of food and can be eaten by several predators. The web is more complicated, and it is even missing many links, for simplicity’s sake.

Key for create your own food web activity on The Flow of Energy Handout

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 13

Animal Populations and EnvironmentsQuiz Version 1

Write the letter of the definition that best fits the vocabulary word in the space provided.

Name ____________________________________ Date ____________________________Answers Vocabulary Word Definitions1. Autotrophs A. Organisms that eat a variety of foods that

include both plant and animals materials

2. Heterotrophs B. Break down the complex compounds of dead and decaying plants and animals.

3. Herbivores C. A close and permanent association between organisms of different species.

4. Carnivores D. Feed directly on autotrophs

5. Scavengers E. Both species benefit

6. Omnivores F. Organisms that use energy from the sun or energy stored in chemical compounds to manufacture food.

7. Decomposers G. Feed on carrion, refuse and dead

8. Predator-prey relationships H. Some animals must kill others for food for survival

9. Symbiosis I. One species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor benefited.

10. Commensalisms J. Organisms that depend on autotrophs as their source of nutrients and energy.

11. Mutualism K. One organism derives benefit at the expense on another, but without killing it.

12. Parasitism L. Eat other Heterotrophs

Animal Populations and Environments

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 14

Quiz Version 2

Write the letter of the definition that best fits the vocabulary word in the space provided.Name ____________________________________ Date ____________________________

Answers Vocabulary Word Definitions1. Autotrophs A. Organisms that use energy from the sun or

energy stored in chemical compounds to manufacture food.

2. Heterotrophs B. Break down the complex compounds of dead and decaying plants and animals.

3. Herbivores C. One organism derives benefit at the expense on another, but without killing it.

4. Carnivores D. Feed on carrion, refuse and dead

5. Scavengers E. Organisms that depend on autotrophs as their source of nutrients and energy.

6. Omnivores F. Eat other Heterotrophs

7. Decomposers G. A close and permanent association between organisms of different species.

8. Predator-prey relationships H. Feed directly on autotrophs

9. Symbiosis I. Both species benefit

10. Commensalisms J. Organisms that eat a variety of foods that include both plant and animals materials

11. Mutualism K. One species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor benefited.

12. Parasitism L. Some animals must kill others for food for survival

Unit 7, Lesson 6: Animal Populations and Environments 15