VIRTUAL LAB; MODELING ECOSYSTEMS



Modeling Ecosystems Virtual Lab

Background Information:

1. Read the question and the answer to “How does energy flow through an ecosystem?” Fill in the blanks on your lab sheet.

Procedure:

2. Select the ecosystem type you would like to model from the pull down menu above the pyramid. You’ll model all five ecosystems, but it doesn’t matter which one you start with.

3. Read the Field Guide for that ecosystem to help you determine the placement of the organisms into the various trophic levels.

4. Click and drag the various organisms to their correct locations within the different trophic levels of the pyramid. (Note: You must place them in just the right area of the pyramid or else they will bounce back or replace another organism…this does not mean that they do not belong there, just try again in a different area of the pyramid). Once you have moved all of the organisms click the “Check” button and fix any incorrect choices if necessary. RECORD this information in Table 1.

5. Clicking on the “Pyramid of Energy” will reveal how much energy is available at each trophic level. RECORD this information in Table 1.

6. Clicking on the “Pyramid of Numbers” will show the number of organisms at each trophic level within this type of ecosystem. RECORD this information in Table 1.

7. You must take one last step in the investigation of this ecosystem. It is important to determine the amount of energy that is transferred from one trophic level to the next. This is called the “energy conversion efficiency”. This value is determined by taking the energy value from a higher trophic level and dividing it by the energy value of the level below it. (See Table 2 for an example.) RECORD this information in Table 2.

8. When you are completely finished analyzing the ecosystem, you can then click the “Reset” button and select another type of ecosystem from the pull down menu. Follow the directions above to investigate this ecosystem and the three that remain.

9. Answer the Analysis and Conclusion Questions on your lab report.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download