Carrying Capacity Activity. 5 th Grade PSI. Teacher s Notes Procedure: Simulation 1 Regular herds

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1 Carrying Capacity Activity 5 th Grade PSI Teacher s Notes Procedure: Simulation 1 Regular herds 1. Before the start of the activity, count out 4 beans per student. Place the beans in the center of the classroom or on a table so all students can have access to them. Students will be acting as deer in an ecosystem. Each bean represents a food source for the deer. 2. Split the students into herds of 5 deer and arrange the herds in a circle around the food supply. Deer from each herd will walk to the food supply one at a time. Once they collect a bean, they will return to their herd and tag the next deer who will then go and collect their food. Deer need two pieces of food per simulation to survive. 3. Start the timer for the first round for 1 minute. Depending upon the size of the class, adjust the time as necessary. Rounds should be short enough that not every deer gets enough food to survive. 4. Any deer that obtain food in a round are allowed to move on to the next round. Any deer that do not obtain food in a single round are allowed to move on to the next round. Any deer that do not obtain food in two rounds in a row starve to death and must sit out the remainder of the game. 5. Continue for 4 or more rounds until several deer have died off. Simulation 2 Decreased resources 2. Collect all the beans from the first simulation and reduce the overall number of beans by 25% to simulate a decrease in food sources and available land. 3. Ask student to hypothesis what will happen to the overall deer population with a decrease in available resources and available land. 4. Place the beans in the center and start the timer for 1 minute intervals. Continue for 4 or more rounds until several deer have died off. 5. Have students fill out data table.

2 Simulation 3 Predation and hunting 2. For this simulation use 4 beans per student. Color or mark 10 of the beans red to simulate predation and 10 of the beans black to simulate hunting. Place all the beans in a cup so they are selected at random. 3. Ask student to hypothesis what will happen to the overall deer population with the introduction of predation and hunting. 4. Place the beans in the center and start the timer for 1 minute intervals. Continue for 4 or more rounds. 5. Any deer that choose a predation/hunting bean die and must sit out the remainder of the game. Simulation 4 Population Increase 2. Removed the colored beans and return to the starting amount of 4 beans per student. 3. For this simulation select two students per group to act as mothers of newborn deer in the spring. They will collect two food sources each turn to provide food for the new deer. 4. Ask student to hypothesis what will happen to the overall deer population with an increase in the herd s population. 5. Place the beans in the center and start the timer for 1 minute intervals. Continue for 4 or more rounds.

3 Carrying Capacity Activity Name: 5 th Grade PSI Experiment Question: What is carrying capacity? What factors impact/determine carrying capacity? Purpose In this activity, you will explore the significance and factors that impact an area s carrying capacity. You will be acting as deer competing with other deer and animals for resources. Materials Dried beans Timer Markers, red & black Cup

4 Data Table Simulation Starting Population Ending Population Mortality Rate (% of deer that died) 1 Regular Herds 2 Decreased Resources 3 Predation & Hunting 4 Population Increase

5 Analysis Questions 1. What factors from the simulations impacted the deer s survival? 2. What other factors not present in the simulations would affect a species survival rate? 3. In an area with a limited amount of resources (food), what could be done to manage the population to match the carrying capacity? 4. Describe the effect of the following on the herd of deer: a. Decreased resources and available land b. Predation and hunting c. Increased population