Population Ecology is the study of the numbers and distribution of groups of organisms. The Biology Q and A site has some good revision for exams at Population Ecology in question and answer format. Breathing Earth is the site I showed you in class with informative, animated graphics that show a comparison of births, deaths and CO2 emissions across the globe. It clearly shows how the rate of births and deaths in China, India and Africa differs to those in Australia and North and South America.
This Predator Prey simulation is based on a cardboard grid and game pieces representing rabbits and lynx. It demonstrates how the population of predator and prey impact on each other. At the Gould League site there is another activity that clearly shows how predator/prey populations interact with each other, this time with kangaroos and dingoes in an Australian ecosystem. Draw a graph of the data, showing the predator and prey in different colours. Then answer the following questions:
- What patterns can be seen in the graph? Suggest reasons for any patterns.
- Is there any relationship between the kangaroo and the dingo numbers? If so, account for this.
- The park management have decided to stop a rabbit prevention program because it is too expensive. What effect could this have on the dingo population and why?
- Identify the reasons for the absence of large migratory populations in Australia.