Student Exploration: Rabbit Population by Season
Vocabulary: carrying capacity, density-dependent limiting factor, density-independent limiting
factor, limiting factor, population, population density
Gizmo Warm-up
A
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Student Exploration: Rabbit Population by Season
Vocabulary: carrying capacity, density-dependent limiting factor, density-independent limiting
factor, limiting factor, population, population density
Gizmo Warm-up
A population is a group of individuals of the same
species that live in the same area. The size of a
population is determined by many factors. In the Rabbit
Population by Season Gizmo™, you will see how
different factors influence how a rabbit population grows
and changes.
1. Select the BAR CHART tab. What is the approximate
size of the initial rabbit population? 40 rabbits
[1 INQ]
2. Select the TABLE tab. Click Play ( ), and allow the simulation to run for one year.
A. In which season did the rabbit population increase the most? Spring
B. In which season did the rabbit population increase the least? Winter
[2 INQ]
INQ: /7 COM: /28
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Activity A:
Carrying capacity
Get the Gizmo ready:
Click Reset ( ).
Question: What determines how large a population can grow?
3. Think about it: A limiting factor is any factor that controls the growth of a population.
What do you think are some of the limiting factors for the rabbit population? The limiting
factors are might be weather, decrease in land available and availability of food.
[1 COM]
4. Run Gizmo: Select the DESCRIPTION tab. Set the Simulation speed to Fast. Select
the GRAPH tab. Click Play, and allow the simulation to run for at least 10 years. (Note:
You can use the zoom controls on the right to see the whole graph.)
A. Describe how the rabbit population changed over the course of 10 years.
There’s a robust growth in couple of years and then it stabilized.
[1 COM]
B. What pattern did you see repeated every year?
The population increased in the begging of the year and then decreased at the end
of the year.
[1 COM]
5. Analyze: The carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular
species that an environment can support. All environments have carrying capacities.
A. What is this environment’s approximate carrying capacity for rabbits? (Note: Average
the summer and winter carrying capacities.) Between 350 and 450 rabbits
[1 COM]
B. When did the rabbit population reach carrying capacity? Explain how you know.
The rabbit population have reached carrying capacity on the 4th
year of the
stimulation when the average sizes of the years beyond almost stayed the same
[Show More]
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