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    Deer Predation or Starvation Lesson

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    An island deer population had grown to around 2,000 with no natural predators. To control the population and prevent overgrazing, 10 wolves were introduced in 1997. Over the next 10 years: - The wolf population increased to around 20 while the deer population stabilized around 2,000 due to increased predation and decreased starvation. - Without the wolves, the deer population likely would have continued growing unsustainably and resulted in increased starvation due to overgrazing. - The introduction of wolves established a predator-prey balance that prevented deer overpopulation and starvation despite criticism of the "balance of nature" hypothesis.

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    Deer Predation or Starvation Lesson

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    1K views5 pages
    An island deer population had grown to around 2,000 with no natural predators. To control the population and prevent overgrazing, 10 wolves were introduced in 1997. Over the next 10 years: - The wolf population increased to around 20 while the deer population stabilized around 2,000 due to increased predation and decreased starvation. - Without the wolves, the deer population likely would have continued growing unsustainably and resulted in increased starvation due to overgrazing. - The introduction of wolves established a predator-prey balance that prevented deer overpopulation and starvation despite criticism of the "balance of nature" hypothesis.

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    Deer Predation or Starvation Lessons

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    An island deer population had grown to around 2,000 with no natural predators. To control the population and prevent overgrazing, 10 wolves were introduced in 1997. Over the next 10 years: - The wolf population increased to around 20 while the deer population stabilized around 2,000 due to increased predation and decreased starvation. - Without the wolves, the deer population likely would have continued growing unsustainably and resulted in increased starvation due to overgrazing. - The introduction of wolves established a predator-prey balance that prevented deer overpopulation and starvation despite criticism of the "balance of nature" hypothesis.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    1K views5 pages

    Deer Predation or Starvation Lesson

    Uploaded by

    a
    An island deer population had grown to around 2,000 with no natural predators. To control the population and prevent overgrazing, 10 wolves were introduced in 1997. Over the next 10 years: - The wolf population increased to around 20 while the deer population stabilized around 2,000 due to increased predation and decreased starvation. - Without the wolves, the deer population likely would have continued growing unsustainably and resulted in increased starvation due to overgrazing. - The introduction of wolves established a predator-prey balance that prevented deer overpopulation and starvation despite criticism of the "balance of nature" hypothesis.

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    Deer: Predation or Starvation

    Introduction: An island population of deer has no predators


    National Science
    Content Standards:
    Life Science:
    Populations and
    ecosystems
    Regulation and
    Behavior

    and the island is too remote for hunters. Is it better to let


    nature take its course with the deer population or should
    predators (wolves) be introduced onto the island?
    This activity could be done before or after playing
    WolfQuest.

    Objectives:
    Science in Personal
    and Social
    Perspective
    Populations,
    resources and
    environments
    Unifying Concepts and
    Processes
    Systems, Order,
    and Organization
    Evidence, Models,
    and Explanation
    Change,
    Constancy and
    Measurement

    Vocabulary:
    Predator
    Prey
    Ecosystem
    Closed Ecosystem

    Materials:
    Poster paper
    Deer: Predation
    or Starvation
    Worksheets (One
    per student)
    Two different
    colored Sticky
    notes (one of
    each color per
    student)

    At the end of this activity, the student will:


    1. Identify predator/prey relationships and how they may or may
    not impact one another.
    2. Examine the changes that populations undergo to keep a
    balance in the ecosystem.
    3. Examine changes in populations due to human intervention.
    4. Create a graph illustrating population changes in a
    predator/prey relationship.

    Procedure:
    Teacher Prep: Copy one worksheet per student. Make three signs
    with the each of the following titles on large poster paper:
    Deer are better off with the wolves
    Deer are worse off with the wolves
    Deer are about the same with the wolves
    Leave space below the title for the students to add their opinions.
    Post these posters around the room.
    1. Read the scenario to the students prior to handing out the
    worksheet. Ask students to hypothesize how this might or might
    not work. Have students predict what may happen to each of the
    populations.
    2. Now point out the posters headings. Ask students to place a
    sticky note on the poster that has the outcome with which they
    agree.
    3. Hand out the Deer: Predation or Starvation worksheets. Students
    can either work on this alone or with a partner. This could also be
    used as a homework assignment since the worksheet can be
    done independently.
    4. After students have completed the analysis questions, discuss
    questions 1 and 2 as a class.

    Procedure (continued):
    5. Again, ask students to place a sticky note this time using a color
    different from the first one on the poster with the heading with
    which they agree.
    6. As a class, discuss the following things:
    a) How did your first opinion compare with your second?
    b) If you changed your opinion, what caused you to change it?
    c) If you didnt change your opinion, why?
    7. Each perspective should choose a spokesperson to share their
    ideas.

    Deer: Predation or Starvation

    Name_____________________

    Scenario: In 1997 the deer population of an island forest reserve about 518 square kilometers in size was
    about 2000 animals. Although the island had excellent vegetation for feeding, the food supply obviously
    had limits. Thus the forest management personnel feared that overgrazing might lead to mass starvation.
    Since the area was too remote for hunters, the wildlife service decided to bring in natural predators to
    control the deer population. It was hoped that natural predation would keep the deer population from
    becoming too large and also increase the deer quality (or health), as predators often eliminate the weaker
    members of the herd. In 1997, ten wolves were flown into the island.
    The results of this program are shown in the following table. The Population Change is the number of
    deer born (deer offspring) minus the number of deer that died (predation and starvation) during that
    year. Fill out the last column for each year (the first has been calculated for you).
    Year

    Wolf
    Population

    Deer
    Population

    Deer
    Offspring

    Predation

    Starvation

    Deer
    Population
    Change

    1997

    10

    2,000

    800

    400

    100

    +300

    1998

    12

    2,300

    920

    480

    240

    1999

    16

    2,500

    1,000

    640

    500

    2000

    22

    2,360

    944

    880

    180

    2001

    28

    2,224

    996

    1,120

    26

    2002

    24

    2,094

    836

    960

    2003

    21

    1,968

    788

    840

    2004

    18

    1,916

    766

    720

    2005

    19

    1,952

    780

    760

    2006

    19

    1,972

    790

    760

    Graph the deer and wolf populations on the graph provided. Use one color to show deer populations and
    another color to show wolf populations.

    2500

    34
    32

    2400

    30
    28

    2300

    26
    24
    22

    2200

    20
    18
    16

    2100
    2000

    14
    12
    10

    1900
    1997

    1998

    1999

    2000

    2001

    2002

    2003

    2004

    2005

    2006

    Number of Wolves

    N
    u
    m
    b
    e
    r
    of
    D
    e
    e
    r

    Number of Deer

    Total Deer and Wolf Populations by Year

    Years

    Analysis Questions: Read and answer the questions. Be sure to use complete sentences
    and your good grammar skills!
    1. Describe what happened to the deer and wolf populations between 1997 and 2006.
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________

    2. What do you think would have happened to the deer on the island had wolves NOT been
    introduced?
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    3. Most biology textbooks describe that predators and prey exist in a balance. This "balance
    of nature" hypothesis has been criticized by some scientists because it suggests a
    relationship between predators and prey that is good and necessary. Opponents of this
    hypothesis propose the following questions:
    Why is death by predators more natural or "right" than death by starvation?
    How does one determine when an ecosystem is in "balance"?
    Do predators really kill only the old and sick prey? What evidence is there for this statement?

    What is your opinion of the balance of nature hypothesis? Would the deer on the island be
    better off, worse off, or about the same without the wolves? Defend your position.
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________
    _________________________________________________________________________

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