Effects of Resource Availability Portfolio: Simulate Effects of Resource Availability on Populations
The resources populations need to survive are found in their ecosystems. When there is competition for these resources, not all organisms can get what they need. Look at the ecosystem shown. What resources that plants and animals need can you identify in the photo? What resources are plentiful? Which might be more scarce?
Plants, animals, insects, air, water, and sunlight are all part of this desert ecosystem.
Source: Anton Foltin/Shutterstock
Now you will apply what you learned about populations and ecosystems by completing the following tasks for a portfolio:
• Understanding how a simulation can help you investigate the effects of resource availability on populations
• Designing and conducting your own simulation, including your materials list and a written procedure of your simulation
• Collecting and displaying the data from your simulation using a data table
• Creating a bar or line graph using your collected data
• Analyzing and drawing conclusions from your results
When you have finished these tasks, you will turn in the following items:
• The materials list for your simulation
• The written procedure of the simulation
• Your data table
• Your bar or line graph
• Your analysis of the results
Materials List:
- Small cups
- Beans (representing plants)
- Small plastic animals or toy insects (representing animals)
- Water
- Sunlight (can be simulated by a light source)
- Soil or sand
Procedure:
1. Fill each cup with soil or sand.
2. Place a few beans in each cup to represent plants.
3. Place a small plastic animal or toy insect in each cup to represent animals.
4. Add water to some of the cups to simulate plentiful water availability. Leave some cups dry to simulate scarcity of water.
5. Place the cups in a well-lit area to simulate sunlight availability.
6. Observe and record the growth of the beans over a period of time, noting any differences between the cups with plentiful resources and those with scarce resources.
Data Table:
| Cup Number | Amount of Water | Amount of Sunlight | Growth of Plants |
|------------|-----------------|-------------------|------------------|
| 1 | Plentiful | Plentiful | Healthy |
| 2 | Scarce | Plentiful | Stunted |
| 3 | Plentiful | Scarce | Healthy |
| 4 | Scarce | Scarce | Stunted |
Bar Graph:
The bar graph will show the growth of plants in cups with different resource availability (water and sunlight).
Analysis of Results:
From the data collected, it is clear that the availability of resources such as water and sunlight has a significant impact on the growth of plants. Cups with plentiful water and sunlight showed healthy growth, while cups with scarce resources showed stunted growth. This simulation demonstrates how resource availability can affect populations within an ecosystem, highlighting the importance of maintaining a balance of resources for all organisms to thrive.