Can Predator-Prey Populations Remain Constant?
Can predator and prey populations ever settle into balance, or are boom-and-bust cycles inevitable? Guide students through calculating the exact population values equilibrium requires, testing those predictions in an interactive simulator, and observing how a single disturbance sends a stable ecosystem back into flux. Perfect for building evidence-based reasoning about balance and disturbance in ecosystems.
Related resources
Topics
- predator-prey dynamics
- population dynamics
- population oscillation
- population equilibrium
- Lotka-Volterra model
- carrying capacity
- mathematical modeling
- computational simulation
- ecological equilibrium
- reproduction rate
- mortality rate
- ecosystem disturbance
- system perturbation
- evidence-based explanation
- NGSS
- HS-LS2-1