Analyzing Human Impacts on Population Dynamics

Outdoor Lab Activity - Biology

Introduction
The populations of various organisms in an ecosystem can be impacted both directly and indirectly by human
interaction. Four examples of human impact on population dynamics that will be analyzed in this lab include accidental
introduction of disease and invasive species, changes in predator-prey relationship, and habitat loss.
An ecosystem is home to many species, and within an ecosystem there are various food chains. In this lab, your
group will be acting as mice, working to gather food for your mouse population back at the nest in. Your population will
experience various changes that affect not only your population of mice, but other organism populations in your area.
You will each be given an area that will serve as your ecosystem. Once you have collected food and fed your population,
the hawks will feed on your growing population of mice.

For your ecosystem, this is how organisms are fed:

3 beans will feed 1 mouse
4 mice will feed 1 hawk

Pre-Lab Questions

1. Based on the introduction given above, develop a hypothesis that explains what would happen to the
relationship of population dynamics and direct/indirect human impact.

2. Based on the organisms described in the lab, identify the producers, primary consumers, and secondary
consumers.
a. Producer = ________________________________________________________________

b. Primary Consumer = ____________________________________________________

c. Secondary Consumer = _________________________________________________

3. Using your answers from question 2, start with 1,000 J at the first trophic level and construct an energy pyramid
with the correct energy quantities at each level.
Materials
Each group will need the following:

o Plastic Cup
o String
o Meter sticks/rulers
o Lentils/Split Peas
o White beans
o Stopwatch
o Calculator

Procedure

Scenario 1 Normal Conditions

Measure out a 2 meter by 2 meter plot of grass on the lawn. Mark your plot with the yarn provided. This area is
your ecosystem!
Spread your beans throughout your plot of land.
Three team members will be gathering beans using their hands for 1 minute. Each mouse can only pick up 1
bean at a time.
After 1 minute is up, count the total number of beans collected and record this number in the data chart below.

Total
# of Mice # of Hawks Total # of Total Hawk
# of Beans Mouse
1 (3 beans = 1 (4 mice = 1 Organisms Area Population
Collected Population
mouse) hawk) (community) Density
Density
Group
Trial
Class
Average

Using the number of beans recorded in the data table above, calculate the number of mice, hawks, and total
number of organisms. When calculating, round down to the nearest whole number (do not worry about
population density just yet, you will calculate this later!)
Sprinkle these beans back into your ecosystem. This will happen each time you are finished gathering food,
thereby representing reproduction of your bean plants each year.
 Scenario 2 Disease Introduction
Oh, no! A group of local hikers have recently returned from a cross-country trip and brought back some unexpected
hitchhikers on their boots a fungus that makes many of your mice too sick to gather food for your population.
Therefore, only one mouse is left to do all the collecting.

1 person in the group will collect beans using your hands for another full minute.
After 1 minute is up, count the beans collected and record this number in the data chart below. Using this
number of beans, calculate the number of mice, hawks, and total number of organisms.
Sprinkle these beans back into your ecosystem.

Total
# of Mice # of Hawks Total # of Total Hawk
# of Beans Mouse
2 (3 beans = 1 (4 mice = 1 Organisms Area Population
Collected Population
mouse) hawk) (community) Density
Density
Group
Trial
Class
Average

Scenario 3 Invasive Species Introduction

It seems that your poor mice population cannot catch a break! A truck illegally dumps fill-dirt into your field, completely
unaware that the dirt contained a non-native worm species. This particular species begins to feed off the roots of the
white beans your population of mice depends upon! Although your sick mice have recovered from the recent fungus
outbreak, your food supply is cut short and you can only gather the green beans for food.

All the group members who collected food in scenario 1 will collect only the green beans for 1 minute.
After 1 minute is up, count the beans collected and record this number in the data chart below. Using this
number of beans, calculate the number of mice, hawks, and total number of organisms.
Sprinkle these beans back into your ecosystem.

Total
# of Mice # of Hawks Total # of Total Hawk
# of Beans Mouse
3 (3 beans = 1 (4 mice = 1 Organisms Area Population
Collected Population
mouse) hawk) (community) Density
Density
Group
Trial
Class
Average

Scenario 4 Predator Increase

A strange group of people have shown up and cut the grass in your field - you feel so exposed! You can no longer hide
from predators in patches of tall grass when you are out collecting food. Consequently, the hawks in the area have taken
notice and are increasing in number. As a result of the changing ecosystem, your equations for determining population
numbers have changed. Since gathering food is now more difficult, the mice need double the energy/food to survive.
Because of less cover, the hawks, on the other hand, require half the energy to hunt and therefore need less food to
survive. Dont forget, those pesky invasive worms are still eating up your white bean supply. You must continue to only
collect the green beans.

All the group members who collected food in scenario 1 will collect only green beans for 1 minute.
After 1 minute is up, count the beans collected and record this number in the data chart below. Using this
number of beans, calculate the number of mice, hawks, and total number of organisms.
Sprinkle these beans back into your ecosystem.
 Your NEW food totals are as follows:
6 beans will feed 1 mouse
2 mice will feed 1 hawk

Total
# of Mice # of Hawks Total # of Total Hawk
# of Beans Mouse
4 (6 beans = 1 (2 mice = 1 Organisms Area Population
Collected Population
mouse) hawk) (community) Density
Density
Group
Trial
Class
Average

Scenario 5 Land Development

Your population of mice has figured out why those strange people cut the grass back so far last year these crazy
humans are building an apartment complex in your field! As a result of this habitat loss, the area of your ecosystem has
been significantly decreased. Your 2 meter by 2 meter plot of land is now decreased to 1 m by 1 m. Again, remember that
the worm species is still present in your ecosystem and so you can still only collect green beans.

All the group members who collected food in scenario 1 will collect only green colored beans for 1 minute.
Make sure to have the young mouse keep time again!
After 1 minute is up, count the beans collected and record this number in the data chart below. Continue to use
the food calculations given in scenario 4.
Pick up all remaining beans in your plot, clean up the area, and return all supplies to your teacher.

Total
# of Mice # of Hawks Total # of Total Hawk
# of Beans Mouse
5 (6 beans = 1 (2 mice = 1 Organisms Area Population
Collected Population
mouse) hawk) (community) Density
Density
Group
Trial
Class
Average

Data Analysis

Once you have finished collecting beans across all 5 scenarios, calculate the area for your plot of land and use this
number to determine the population density of hawks and mice for your ecosystem.

AREA = length x width

POPULATION DENSITY = Population/Area

4. Plot the population density numbers for both hawks and mice across each scenario in the graph provided
below. Make sure to include title, axis labels (with proper scale), and units.
 5. Pick two scenarios and compare the population density data from these two scenarios to that of scenario 1
(normal conditions).Using the data from your graph, make inferences about your findings (trends, similarities,
differences, etc.).

6. Based on the data, do you accept or reject your initial hypothesis? Justify your answer.

Drawing Conclusions

7. Choose one of the human impacts mentioned above and design a solution for reducing or mitigating those
impacts of human activities. Explain how your solution will mitigate the impacts.
 8. Explain two possible sources of error in the lab procedure and the impact of error on your data. (Meaning, what
do you think did NOT work or was possibly confusing about this lab and how did it affect your work?)

Application Apply What You Have Learned!

Using the graph (on the next page), answer the following questions:

9. Which species of mussel was present in this waterway in 1991?

10. What was the population density of unionids in 1998?

11. What was the population density of the zebra mussels in 1993?

12. Which of these species is the invasive species? Use data to support your answer.

13. Explain two different ways that the invasive species may bring about the decline of the native species.

Data taken from: http://www.caryinstitute.org/educators/teaching-materials/changing-hudson-project/zebra-mussel-invasion-data accessed 7/22/2014