Eco Pulse Practice

Field Analyst Report: Food Webs & Population Graphs

Name: _________________________________

Date: _________________________________

Part 1: Food Web Analysis

Analyze the movement of energy and matter through the ecosystem.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Snake

Frog

Robin

Cricket

Grasshopper

Beetle

Grasses & Shrubs

Food Web Energy Pathways:

Grasses/Shrubs → (Cricket, Grasshopper, Beetle, and Robin)

Beetle → Robin | Grasshopper → Frog → Snake | Cricket → Snake

Robin → Hawk | Snake → Hawk

SCAFFOLD STEP: Trace the Flow

In a food web, what does the arrow actually represent? Does it show who eats whom, or does it show where the energy is going?

1. Which statement best describes the role of the arrows in this forest food web?

A) They point to the organism that is doing the eating.

B) They show the direction of energy transfer from prey to predator.

C) They represent the loss of energy as heat to the environment.

D) They indicate which organisms are producers in the system.

SCAFFOLD STEP: Classifying Roles

Identify the "Robin" in the diagram. Trace it back to its source. Does it eat plants or other animals? Does it eat both?

2. In this food web, which organism functions as both a primary and secondary consumer?

A) Snake

B) Grasshopper

C) Robin

D) Beetle

SCAFFOLD STEP: Predicting Change

If the frog population is removed, look at its predators (Snakes). What will they have to eat instead? Look at its prey (Grasshoppers). What will happen to their numbers without a predator?

3. A disease significantly reduces the frog population. What is the most likely immediate effect on the food web?

A) The cricket population will decrease due to increased competition.

B) The snake population will decrease or be forced to hunt more crickets.

C) The grass and shrub population will grow uncontrollably.

D) The hawk population will increase because there is less competition for frogs.

Part 2: Population Dynamics

Analyze how populations change over time based on environmental factors.

Population Size

Time (Years)

SCAFFOLD STEP: Graph Literacy

Look at "Level K" where the line flattens out. In biology, what do we call the maximum number of individuals an environment can support?

4. Based on the graph above, what does "Level K" represent for this population?

A) The point where the population goes extinct.

B) The carrying capacity of the ecosystem.

C) The initial birth rate of the species.

D) The number of predators in the area.

Population

Time

SCAFFOLD STEP: Identifying Cycles

Notice how when the blue line (prey) goes up, the red dashed line (predator) follows shortly after. What happens to the prey population when the predator population reaches its highest point?

5. Which of the following statements best explains the pattern shown in the predator-prey graph?

A) The predator and prey populations are independent of each other.

B) An increase in prey population leads to a decrease in predator population.

C) Predator populations fluctuate in response to the availability of their prey.

D) The prey population will eventually drive the predator population to extinction.

SCAFFOLD STEP: Critical Thinking

Populations don't grow forever. Think about "limiting factors" like food, water, space, and disease. Which of these would be most affected if a second, competing species moved into the same habitat?

6. If a new invasive species moves into an area and eats the same food source as the native population, what will most likely happen to the carrying capacity of the native species?

A) It will increase because there is more biodiversity.

B) It will remain the same because carrying capacity only depends on weather.

C) It will decrease because there are fewer resources available for the native species.

D) It will double because the two species will work together.

Field Analysis Summary

Explain in your own words: How does a change in the food web (like the loss of a producer) affect the population graphs of the consumers in that ecosystem?

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