Predator vs. Prey

Apr 17 2011

Source: Staceyann727

Summary Information

Keywords:

biotic, abiotic, ecosystems, food chain, prey, predator, food web, evolution

Topic:

Biology

Target Grade (Ages):

Grade 5 (Ages 10-11)

Grade 6 (Ages 11-12)

Grade 7 (Ages 12-13)

Grade 8 (Ages 13-14)

Estimated Time Required:

less than 1 hour

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LESSON

Goals and Prerequisites

Goals:

Students will understand and apply theories to:

Living things are similar to and different from each other and nonliving things.
Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment.
Organisms interact in communities through predator vs. prey relationships, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalisms.

Prerequisites:

Students should understand the following concepts:

Components of an ecosystem (abiotic & biotic factors)
Scientific method
Biodiversity

Instructional Objective(s)

Students will:

Demonstrate relationships amongst organism whether it may be negative, positive or neutral.
Apply the concept of the evolutionary theory: “Only the fittest will survive.”
Apply the understanding that biodiversity increases the stability of an ecosystem.

Instructional Resources

Background:

Be sure to discuss the factors such as weather, speed of prey and location of prey and their impact on the success of a predator.
Be sure to discuss the impact of other factors, such as human impact, fires, or an introduction of a new organism that can also impact predator vs. prey relationships.

Materials:

Predator vs.Prey Worksheet
2 boxes of various utensils
Timer
Colored pasta
Easel
Nesting area (Ziploc bags)

Predator vs Prey Worksheet (doc)

Procedure:

Day 1: Field Day

Prearrange a site that has a mowed & un-mowed section. (This should be in all one area.)

Begin with these few questions: What factors can limit the success of a predator? What effects would a fire have on a predator-prey relationship between a red-tailed hawk and a cotton tail rabbit?” Record responses on an easel to take with you to your site.

Have students develop a hypothesis based on the materials and the site in which they would like to test their hypothesis in on the student worksheet. For example, “I believe that the spoon will capture more prey in the bushy area than the mowed area.” Students should share out their hypothesis aloud to their class.

Explain to students that they will simulate the predator vs. prey relationship using the utensils provided (forks, spoons, tweezers), as well as the different environments included (mowed, un-mowed, bushy).

Activity

Pair students up. One person plays the “predator” the other person is the recorder.

The predator will have 45 seconds to capture at least 7 prey (macaroni) to avoid starvation with his tool. Prey should be picked up one at a time without using fingers. Once the prey is captured, student should bring their prey back to the nesting area and continue until the 45-second interval is completed.

This process is repeated 5 times in each of the 2 habitats types.

Day 2: Classroom

Have students back in pairs and have them analyze their data collected and answer the following:

Summarize your results in complete sentences
What conclusion can you deduce from these results?
Was your hypothesis supported? Explain thoroughly
What are some abiotic factors that may affect the success of failure of predators?

Assessments and Rubrics

Students can be assessed using the Predator vs. Prey Worksheet . This will be used to check for understanding.

Credits

Michelle Oyler, John Rivera, Melanie Roffel, David J. Gibson, Beth Middleton and Marilyn Mathis

RESOURCES

Original Resources

Predator vs Prey Worksheet (doc)

Contributed Resources

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STANDARDS

Click here to add Standards

New York State Core Curriculum: Living Environment

Standard Type: State New York

New York State Core Curriculum: Living Environment Regents Standards

Standard 4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

6.1g Relationships between organisms may be negative, neutral, or positive. Some organisms may interact with one another in several ways. They may be in a producer/consumer, predator/prey, or parasite/host relationship; or one organism may cause disease in, scavenge, or decompose another. Explain the importance of preserving diversity of species and habitats.

6.2a As a result of evolutionary processes, there is a diversity of organisms and roles in ecosystems. This diversity of species increases the chance that at least some will survive in the face of large environmental changes. Biodiversity increases the stability of the ecosystem.

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