Mr. Griffiths Essay Example

Purpose:
Analyze graphs to determine the carrying capacity of two marine species.
Explain how predation, birth, and death rates impact population size and carrying capacity of marine populations.
Describe how biotic and abiotic factors influence the carrying capacity of marine populations.
Research:
Prey initial size- 25
Prey birth rate- 0.05
Predator initial size- 25
Predator death rate- 0.05
Capture efficiency- 0.005
Hypothesis:
If the starting population of the prey is higher than the predators, the carrying capacity of the seals will be lower than the carrying capacity of the whales.
Materials:
1. The population dynamics virtual lab activity
2. Populations dynamics lab report

species
Seal
population
Whale
population
Seal carrying capacity Whale carrying capacity Trial 1
25
25 49 52
Trial 2 50
25
75 80
Trial 3
25
125 72 79

Seal birth rate
Whale
birth rate
Seal carrying capacity Whale carrying capacity Trial 1
0.05
0.005 49 52
Trial 2 0.07
0.005
43 55

Whale death rate Whale capture efficiency Seal carrying capacity Whale carrying capacity Trial 1
0.05
0.005 49 52
Trial 2 0.08
0.005
65 59

Analysis and conclusion:
1. Using Table 1, which of the three trials produced the highest carrying capacity for both the whales and the seals? Why do you think this trial had the best outcome for the whale and seal populations? Trial #2. It had more prey than predators which gave the predators more food which increases their population and prey with a high consisting population.
2. Using Table 2 and 3, explain how the birth rates of the seals and the death rates of the whales affected the carrying capacity for both whales and seals. A higher seal birth rate decreases the carrying capacity of the seals but increases the wale carrying capacity. A higher wale death rate increases both the seal and wale carrying capacity.
3. For the second trial in Part 1, we