Population Studies

Ok, let’s use our imagination now….are you ready?!

Pretend that you are a biologist who wants to study the population of a specific species of fish. In this
observation you will need to examine the growth and decline of the population. Don’t forget to take
some important tools with you on your trip. You will need paper, pencils, graph paper, calculators, and
a computer. Type the following link into your internet browser:
http://www.otherwise.com/population/exponent.html

Here are the directions for your observation:

1. Once you have typed the link into your browser, click on the button that says “Run applet”
2. The applet starts out with a habitat containing two fish. Near the top of the window on the left it shows
the generation and on the right it shows the population size. Underneath the habitat view is an area
where you can enter the average population birth rate. The applet automatically sets the birth rate to be
1.5.
a. Create a table based on the generation and population size
b. Press the “Step” button to find the population of the following generation
c. Record your findings in your table for up to 20 generations
d. When you are finished observing 20 generations, create a graph that illustrates your findings
(don’t forget to include your rules)
e. Compare your graph with the graph that is provided on the applet
f. Now do a series of simulations using birth rates of 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, and 2.0
g. Record your observations (be specific)
3. Now that you have observed population growth, let’s take a look at population decline.
a. Go to the applet and select the “Reset All” button
b. Set the birth rate to be 0.8
c. Create a table based on the generation and population size
d. Press the “Step” button to find the population of the following generation
e. Record your findings in your table for up to 20 generations
f. When you are finished observing 20 observations, create a graph that illustrates your findings
(don’t forget to include your rules)
g. Compare your graph with the graph that is provided on the applet
4. Now that you have studied population growth and decline, compare and contrast your observations (what
was the same and what was different in each experiment).
a. What do you think caused the differences between population growth and decline?
b. If you were conducting a similar observation on any other population, what would be some
things you would look for that would tell you whether the population would grow or decline?
c. What happens to the population when the birth rate is greater than 1? What does the graph
look like?
d. What happens to the population when the birth rate is less than 1? What does the graph look
like?