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Carbon: Transformations in Matter and Energy Environmental Literacy Project Michigan State University Ecosystems Unit Activity 2.1 Predicting Patterns in Ecosystems Meadow Ecosystem In this lesson we are going to investigate patterns in a meadow ecosystem. Meadows are grassy areas that are home to many different species of plants and animals. 2 What is a population? • Group of organisms of the same species living in the same region at the same time • What populations can you identify in the picture of the meadow below? Biomass • Biomass is the total mass of organisms in a given area • Scientists often study the biomass of different populations of organisms in an ecosystem • In the next lesson you will use the Meadow Simulation online to collect data about the biomass of the following populations: – Producers: grasses – Herbivores: rabbits – Carnivores: foxes Using the Meadow Simulation Change initial biomass of each population by typing in box or moving sliders. The maximum initial biomass for each population is 1000. Click the arrow to run the simulation. As the simulation runs, a graph of the biomass of each population over time is drawn. The biomass of each population is represented in two different ways in this box. An animation of the changes in the grass, rabbit, and fox populations appears on the camera screen. Our predictions Initial biomass Foxes 500 Rabbits 500 Grasses 500 100 years later 100 years later 100 years later 100 years later 100 years later Our predictions Initial settings 100 years later Foxes biomass Rabbits biomass Grass biomass Initial settings 100 years later Foxes biomass Rabbits biomass Grass biomass Initial settings Foxes biomass Rabbits biomass Grass biomass 100 years later
