Introduction

Being a top predator of the food chain, humans often forget how intricate of a system they are
involved in when it comes to their surrounding environments outside of industrial development.
We dont often realize how the smallest act can contribute to the snowball effect that is the well-
being of animal and plant species and how those same small acts can contribute to the increase or
decrease of those population. An ecosystem is defined as one or more communities of different
species interacting with one another and with the chemical and physical factors making up their
nonliving environment. Through sites such as Learner.org, it gives the opportunity for the
student to understand how ecosystems are a complex and delicate balancing game. You are
given the chance to not only manipulate the elements of an ecosystem, but also view the
immediate results of what changes you make in an ecosystem simulation. The observations
through this simulator can help the student better understand how sensitive any ecosystem can
be, and may even give great insight to their perspective on what we do as a species can severely
impact the other species and ecosystems alike around us.

Objectives
1. Learn how intricate an ecosystem involves all biotic factors of an environment.
2. Allow the learner to create different scenarios and discover the delicacy involved in a
food web.
3. Experience the difficulties of achieving a perfect food web.

Hypothesis
I think that the way each element of an ecosystem participates within their environment, whether
its taking from a food source or is the food source, will heavily contribute to the incline and
decline of the populations within the community of an ecosystem.

Results
Table 1
Creating a less than real life scenario

This table shows the personal predictions and actual results of an increase in population,
decrease in population or no existence of a population. This is a simple scenario for a food chain
in the ecosystem simulator: The top predator gains nutrition from Omnivore A, Omnivore A from
Herbivore A, and Herbivore A from Plant A.
Lesson 2: Plant A Herbivore A Omnivore A Top Predator
Step 1
(X, , or )
Prediction X
Simulation 1
Simulation 2

Table 2
Creating an approximate real life scenario
This table shows the predictions and results of all biotic factors being intricately involved with
each other as each species are sharing a small contribution to the nutrition of another. A
modification was added as an attempt to discover the perfect food chain, in which no species
are completely eliminated.
Lesson 2: Plan Plan Plan Herbivore Herbivor Herbivor Omnivor Omnivor Top
tA tB tC A eB eC eA eB
Step 2 Predator

(X, , or )

Prediction X X X

Simulation 1 X X X

Simulation 2 X X X

Modifications
made

Discussion
1. For Table 1, I would say that my predictions were 50% accurate. The thought process I
had for choosing my predictions had been based on the ideals of how a food chain would
operate. It made sense to me that each biotic factor depended on each other for nutritional
value, and that precariously stood on how well the population thrived with its main food
source. For instance, Plant A was the main source of food for Herbivore A, thus
contributing to its growth or decline, same for how Herbivore A was the source of food
for Omnivore A, and Omnivore A was the food source for the Top Predator. Each biotic
factor had only one source of food, but under the impression that the Top Predator is a
 dominant factor, I predicted that its food source would die out before the Top Predators
population would. I also predicted that Plant As population would decrease, due to it
being the only source of food that Herbivore A had. After I ran the simulation the first
time, it resulted in me being incorrect about the population of Omnivore A and the Top
Predator- instead of Omnivore A dying out, its population increased and the Top
Predators population decreased.
2. If the producers, or in this case Plant A, were to die out, I believe this would have a
significant impact in the simulation. I believe this to be true because in a way, Plant A is
the start of it all in this particular food chain. If there is no food source for the next link in
the chain (in this case, Herbivore A), all of the other biotic factors would slowly be
eliminated over time. This is because a population cannot thrive without its foods source
being a prominent contribution factor to its growth.
3. Several populations did increase in numbers, such as the Top Predator, Plant B and at
times, Herbivore A-C. I believe the components that contributed to this would be an even
distribution of a food source, and less of a threat from predators, which gave time for the
population to replenish from any loses. The species that decreased in number had been
Plants A and C, and at times Herbivores A-C. I believe that this could have occurred
through too many species being reliant on these particular contributors as a nutrition
source. If too much of a source is taken and not given the time to replenish, eventually
the source will decrease and decease.
4. I strongly believe that the population that would benefit the most from decomposers
would be plants. Decomposers are made up of bacteria that is responsible for breaking
down organic matter. Once the organic matter is broken down completely, the rest of its
nutrients will feed the soil, from the soil the plants will thrive and gain its first essential
nutrients.
5. For Table 2, I was able to successfully modify the simulation so that all populations were
to thrive entirely. My initial thought to this was that I could not tie one species to
overwhelm a particular nutrient source, and that I should evenly spread out each food
source for each species as much as I could. At first, I did not think I would achieve this
because it never really settled into my mind how intricately involved every single factor
of a food chain is to one another. It took many attempts and many alterations to achieve
the perfect food web. Nonetheless, I set up the food chain as the following:
Top Predator eats Herbivore C + Omnivore A
Omnivore A eats Herbivore A
Omnivore B eats Herbivore B
Herbivore A eats Plant A + B
Herbivore B eats Plant B + C
Herbivore C eats Plant A + C
I felt as though I set this up so that each species did not overwhelm its given food source,
and each element of that food source gained more nutrients from its designated point of
supply. I believe this made it so that it can replenish quickly and keep up with the demand
from their dependent species.
6. In the case of ecosystems, I believe energy flows from its producers all the way up to its
tertiary consumers. Eating an organism results in an energy transfer through the nutrients
 gained from that organism once its been eaten from its primary consumer. The nutrients
gained from the primary consumer aids the species into surviving.
Resources
"Interactive Labs." The Habitable Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
<https://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/interactives/ecology/>.
Environmental Science, Fifteenth Edition, G. Tyler Miller, Scott E Spoolman, Boston,
Ma.