Predator Prey Lab Report Essay Example

Predator Prey Lab Report Paper An adaptation aids survival by either decreasing a preys chance of being eaten, or y increasing a predators chance of obtaining food to survive and reproduce. Predators must fight for food. They face density-independent factors which are factors that limit resources, but they cannot be controlled; an example would be bad weather or wildfires. Density-dependent factors are things that can be controlled such as the amount of competition in an environment. For example, if a preys traits allow it to run faster, the predator must also have the characteristics to allow it to run fast enough to catch its prey. Many people confuse adoptions with evolution, but they are not the same. Adoptions are changes in an animal that happen in one generation, while evolution occurs over many generations (Modern Biology, 2006). Charles Darwin had a theory that was the opposite of adaptations. Charles Darnings theory of natural selection was basically survival of the fittest. When organisms reproduce and exceed the carrying capacity, the competition in the environment increases. Because of this, some organisms will not survive (Theory of Natural Selection). It was then that Darwin realized those organisms who were most suited for the environment were the ones who will live on and produce (Darnings Theory of Evolution). For example, picture two birds in an environment. One bird has a long beak and the other has a short beak. The bird with the long beak is able to reach into the holes in the ground and eat the seeds, but the other cannot. The bird populations with the long beaks will be able to survive and reproduce while the population of birds with the short beaks will thin out and eventually go extinct (Modern Biology, 2006). We will write a custom essay sample on Predator Prey Lab Report specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Predator Prey Lab Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Predator Prey Lab Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Problem: Which predators will be able to survive and reproduce based on their characteristics, adaptations to the environment, density-dependent factors such s competition for food, and density-independent factors such as bad weather or wild fires? Hypothesis: The spoon will be the predator that survives, reproduces, and dominates the population. If there is a competition between predators over a prey, then the spoon will easily be able to use its bowl-like shape to easily scoop up the prey. If the prey is hidden in the grass, then the spoon will be able to slide through the grass and scoop up any prey hiding. Materials: . 300 pieces of corn 2. 300 pieces of black beans 3. 300 pieces of lima beans 4. 100 pieces of pinto beans 5. Plastic forks with one tongue removed (Broken Forks) . Plastic forks 7. Small plastic knives 8. Plastic spoons 9. Tweezers (forceps) 10. A grass field approximately 15 meters square or a carpeted area about the same size. 11. Styrofoam 6-8 oz. Cups 12. Stop watch Procedures: 1. Distribute 100 pieces of corn, lima beans, and black beans onto the field. 2. Divide the class into 5 groups that are as close to equal as possible. . Give each member of one group forks, of another group spoons, of another group broken forks, of another group knives, and the last group forceps. (If there are no forceps available, the lab can be demonstrated with only 4 groups. 4. Every student gets a Styrofoam cup. 5. Instruct the students that they are individual predators with structural variations. The beans and the corn are the prey. The prey must be picked up with the feeding mechanism (forks, knives, spoons, broken forks, and forceps) and placed in the model mouth (cup). No scraping or pushing of the prey in the mouth is allowed the cup may not touch the ground area. The predators may, however, dash in and pick up any prey being pursued by another predator. Do not hesitate to intrude, any hungry natural predator would not. Hunting time will be 5 minutes. When the teacher or the wildfire comes around and touches any of the students, they must step out of the playing area for fifteen seconds. When told to stop, each student will tally up his kills. If a predator is in the process of capturing a prey when told to stop, he must drop it. 6. Repeat this process for each generation and make the proper adjustments required for each. 7. At the end of the lab, share your data with the class and add up the number of prey killed. Observations: In certain parts of the field, the grass was very tall and the prey that were in that area were very difficult to find. Because of this many predators ignored the grassy areas which caused a lot of competition for prey in the other areas of the field. Certain prey such as the corn was easily concealed in the grass because of its small size. However, in the dirt area, the color of the corn really made it stand out. Therefore, the spoon population was able to reproduce while the other populations began to thin out because they were not as well adapted to the environment, and they were not able to reproduce. Their populations decreased steadily and we can infer that they will eventually go extinct. Fig. 5 shows predator consumption. This graph corresponds to the Predator Population graph. In both graphs the spoon population increases while the others decrease steadily. Again, this is because the spoons were well adapted to the environment and they were able to get more food and reproduce. Another reason was the fact that when some predators starved to death or consumed fewer than five preys they became part of the spoon population. This was done to show how populations that cannot get enough food die off, and those who can continue to live and reproduce. It proves the theory of natural selection. Fig. 6 shows the population of prey. In all cases except for the lima beans, the populations increased. This is because the lima beans were the easiest prey to catch and all the redactors went after them in the first generation. Their population immediately decreased at a drastic level. Because of this, no more lima beans were thrown on the field to show they were no longer able to reproduce. However, for the second generation, the black beans and the corn population increased by one- hundred. This is because there were enough of them left to reproduce. In the third generation you see the corn population increase by one-hundred once again. This is because they were able to reproduce again. However, the black bean population did not increase, but a pinto bean population started at one- hundred. This was because the pinto beans were an invasive species and took over the black bean population. This caused the black beans to not be able to reproduce and their population size stayed the same. Conclusion: This lab was done to show how natural selection affects a predator-prey relationship. Only the strong and most adapted species can survive. The hypothesis was correct because the spoon population was the most adapted and over time became the dominate population. The spoon population was best adapted because it was able to easily scoop up and hiding prey and it was able to scoop up the prey easily in a competition. The spoons were the best adapted at capturing prey as well. The knife and broken fork populations went extinct because they were not well adapted to the environment or catching prey. It can also be inferred that all but the spoon population will also go extinct because they are declining steadily. In human examples, men are able to adapt to the heat by air condition and water. They can adapt to the cold by wearing heavy clothing and heaters. There should be funding to continue to save certain species because there are many species that cannot fend for themselves, but they are incredibly important to the environment. Letting natural selection wee out these species could cause great harm to humans and other animal. Reproduction allowed the spoon population to grow and dominate. It also allowed the corn survive and provide food for the predators. In this lab the experimental group was the predator and prey populations decreasing and increasing based on natural selection. The control variables was the area because it was not tested, as well as the time, and the fact that when you died you became part of the spoon population. The independent variables were the changes in population and prey consumption for each generation.

Sample Essay on Retail

Sample Essay on RetailIf you are an undergraduate or graduate student at a college or university and are planning to write a sample essay on retail, then you have made a very wise decision. As the economy continues to deteriorate, many jobs that previously were secure are now being lost. And with the unemployment rate so high, companies are struggling to find qualified candidates for positions that once were safe. What this means is that you need to start writing essays on retail if you want to be successful in your future career.First of all, if you do not have any specific education or training in writing or academia, then you should look into getting some experience with these topics. There are a lot of non-profit organizations out there that will be able to provide you with the resources that you need to get your work done. Make sure that you are providing the best and most accurate information that you can give. This will help your job search along.When looking for a place to do your writing, you should look into several places that specialize in helping students on the retail industry. One of the best places to look is at the library, especially if you are in the school's library system. Here, you will find hundreds of journals and books on a wide variety of topics that are specifically geared towards the retail industry.The other option is to go online to find publications on just about any topic that you can think of, including articles and letters that are targeted towards personal experiences. You will be able to find numerous publications that are related to the retail industry that are available to both the public and to the individuals in the industry. In fact, there are so many out there that you will never know where to begin.The thing that you want to remember is that it is always good to keep up with current events when it comes to writing a research paper on retail. Many new products and businesses are being introduced all the time, and this c an often make it difficult to keep up with the ever changing trends. You should be aware of what is new in the industry and what is going on with the different companies.An important tip when it comes to this type of essay is to make sure that the title of the research paper is compelling enough to keep readers interested. They want to know why you are writing your essay, and they will be searching for something that will get them interested. For example, if you wrote an essay about how poorly an employee works, then it might be more beneficial to write an essay about how he or she works well.Another thing that you can do to help with the research paper on retail is to make sure that you are using the internet as much as possible. Keep in mind that research papers on the internet often times do not take as much effort to complete as they do to read and understand a paper on the Internet. So, you should start looking for resources online before you move on to getting any academic tra ining.Writing an essay on retail is definitely a worthwhile endeavor, but you should also be patient and willing to take the time to learn from your mistakes. Your essay will be long and even somewhat difficult to write, so you will want to make sure that you make the most of your efforts. The only way that you are going to succeed is by taking the time to learn about the topic and how to write an essay on retail. After all, this is something that you will be doing throughout your life.