Populations and Ecosystems

Life has its ups and downs ... especially if you're an animal! Biology scholars engage in a population study through an inquiry-based lesson plan. Pupils work together to explore the factors that affect deer populations, then examine the...

Many people think of bugs as annoying pests to be squashed, but most insects and spiders are beneficial, eating the actual pests or pollinating plants. After reviewing some of the common bugs in your area (they may differ from those...

Young scholars explore the interrelatedness of predators and prey in four different activities. They simulate an aquatic insect, fish, and osprey food chain during a poker chip game, play an M&M game to simulate the relationship...

Eager ecologists explore ecosystems through video and photographs of a Mangrove. They discuss the animals in this habitat and how they interact with each other after reading and discussing "The Sea, the Storm and the Mangrove Tangle."...

Students control the environments in four different scenarios to discover how any changes might affect populations. The different simulations include microorganisms, rabbits, foxes, and other organisms.

Explore the food chains that support Arctic ecosystems. A class discussion on interdependence and the different roles plants and animals play in ecosystems provides students with the knowledge to complete a worksheet asking them to...

Students investigate the components food chains and food webs in various ecosystems. They describe how living things depend on one another for food energy (food chain) and how more than one food chain exists in an ecosystem

Young scholars explore the predator-prey relationship using an interactive game. In this biology lesson, students compare their physical attributes. They explain how  predators develop to make it stronger and efficient as hunters....

Learn what happens to different populations of organisms as their ecosystem changes. Design your own experiment and make your own guesses with what the result will be with this virtual ecosystem. Also experiment with producer/consumer...

Describes conditions in a desert that limit how large populations of species can grow.