Populations and Ecosystems

How do we predict future population growth? Young researchers investigate various factors affecting the size of our population. As they calculate and interpret graphs to determine factors that could potentially affect increases and...

The "Bottled Bacteria" activity instructions are a bit unclear, but the remaining activities investigating limiting factors in ecosystems are well-written. Learners model the exosystem of a bear and a herd of deer. They set up a...

The typical introductory environmental questions are asked in this two-page worksheet. Emerging ecologists define populations, limiting factors, carrying capacity, and trophic levels. They analyze a population graph and consider the...

Examine the impact the fishing industry has on local ecosystems. The hands-on lesson begins with an experiment that tests the effectiveness of fish-based fertilizers. It continues with a computer-based module that simulates sustainable...

A respectful resource is available to support your ecology lecture. Introduce the population concepts of limiting factors and carrying capacity and then examine the example of a deer population in northern Arizona. Take a look at the...

You will get much mileage out of this resource. It is three presentations in one! Standard general ecology information is included within these 69 slides. The first segment deals with levels of organization, biotic and abiotic factors,...

Middle or high school environmental studies classes will learn much from this presentation on energy in ecosystems. It covers the foundational topics of trophic levels, food webs, and nutrient cycles using informational text and...

Along came a spider, who sat down beside her. She screamed, but RJ wouldn't smash it because spiders are a limiting factor for other insects in an ecosystem. In this video, other common limiting factors for populations are listed....

Why do most populations remain stable over time? Usually it is a result of either environmental resistance or carrying capacity. Examine some of the factors that help stabilize animal populations, and explore some of the changes that...

Learn about the different ways in which populations are distributed in a setting. Which animals group together? Why? What are the advantages (or possible disadvantages) to each style of grouping?