http://www.sciencecourseware.org/biologylabsonline/protected/PopEcoLab/PopEcoLab.php. You can go to the website for lab exercise for environmental Science.Write the answer in your own words. I have...

Week 3 Lab Questions
Assignment 1
1a.
Examine the population size plot. What is your estimate of the carrying capacity for the population of
brown sparrows?
Answer: The population size of brown sparrow is given 200 whereas other species blue sparrow and
hawk are taken as zero population.
Carrying capacity is the maximum population which can be supported by the resources available and
it is 7500 brown sparrows.
1b.
Formulate a hypothesis to predict the effects of a decrease in clutch size on the population number of
the brown sparrow.
What did you discover? Did the results agree with your hypothesis? Why or why not? Is there a
threshold clutch size needed to keep the population from going extinct? What happens to the
variability in population numbers as clutch size gets smaller? If you were a conservation biologist,
what would you say about your ability to predict population numbers when clutch size decreases?
Answer:
HYPOTHESIS: The decrease in clutch size would decrease in the number of species of brown sparrow
which could result in extinction of brown sparrow.
But this hypothesis is quite unacceptable because the extinction theory is also related to mortality
rate as well, where brown sparrow has a mortality rate of 2.5 years.
Ofcourse, a threshold clutch size is also needed to prevent the specy from extinction. This point can
easily be understood by the term Competitive exclusion principle where the populations of two
species compete for same limited resources, one population uses the resources well leading to the
elimination of other specy.
As a biologist, clutch size is important in predicting the population growth but mortality or life span is
another factor which could explain the population size.
Formulate a hypothesis to predict the effects of an increase in clutch size on population number, then
design and carry out experiments to test your hypothesis.
Answer: HYPOTHESIS
When the clutch size increases, it will surely affect the population growth by increasing the number of
specy. This could lead to increased uptake of resources like food, water and could damage the ecological
balance in the ecosystem.
Also will affect the food chain and food web which could lead to imbalance in the trophic level.
What happens to population size as clutch size gets larger? What happens to populations with very
large clutch sizes? What do you think is causing the pattern that you see?
Answer : This is well known that if clutch size increases, population of...