Will human population growth always be exponential, or will we find a limiting factor we can't avoid? Young scientists learn about both exponential and logistic growth models in various animal populations. They use case studies to...

Life has its ups and downs ... especially if you're an animal! Biology scholars engage in a population study through an inquiry-based instructional activity. Pupils work together to explore the factors that affect deer populations, then...

Whatever floats your boat—with some additional weight. The first activity in a five-part series challenges pupils to design a boat to hold pennies. Using the design process, learners design, build, and test their boats, making sure they...

What happens when the earth reaches its carrying capacity of humans? As human populations grow, societies change from hunters and gatherers to agriculture to the industrial age and beyond. A video takes a global perspective of migration...

Strengthen your understanding of logistic functions. Young mathematicians change the carrying capacity of a logistic function and see how function values change. The function models the number of members in a gym over time.

Bored with your current biome bag of tricks? This bundle is a bountiful bag of biome fun! Travel the globe with seventh graders and explore the biotic and abiotic factors that define our world's biomes. Then, introduce a little chaos to...

See how changes in initial populations and parameters affect a biological community. Individuals use a special software program to simulate a desert community with five species. They adjust initial populations to see how the community...

How large can a population become? The fifth installment of a nine-part unit teaches young ecologists about limiting factors that determine the carrying capacity of species in the Sonoran Desert. Here is a PowerPoint to help present this...

Some species have one gender that is r-selected while the other is K-selected.  A video focuses on growth rate and the difference between r-selected species and K-selected species. It includes a discussion of fecundity and carrying...

A video on logistic growth begins with a review of exponential growth before moving on to limiting factors. This naturally leads to a decrease in the growth rate and a discovery of carrying capacity. 

The total world population is predicted to pass 8 billion by 2025, which is less than 10 years from now. The video focuses on human population growth and the impact it has had and is having on our planet and other populations. It...

Here learners get to flex some serious algebraic muscles through an investigation of logistic growth. The properties of the constant terms in the logistic growth formula are unraveled in a short but content-dense activity. Moving...

Introduce ecology classes to biodiversity and interdependence in ecosystems with a PowerPoint presentation. Then, they get up-close and personal with the invertebrate world by collecting insects, classifying them, and graphing their...

Why do most populations remain stable over time? Usually it is a result of either environmental resistance or carrying capacity. Examine some of the factors that help stabilize animal populations, and explore some of the changes that...

A 12-page midterm exam sample can be given to young scientists in preparation for an exam. This particular installment is geared toward a class that delves into both ecology and chemistry concepts. There is no way to separate the 50...

The typical introductory environmental questions are asked in this two-page worksheet. Emerging ecologists define populations, limiting factors, carrying capacity, and trophic levels. They analyze a population graph and consider the...

There was a situation in the Kaibab desert of Arizona during which the deer population exploded. Wildlife biologists examine historical data using a graphing calculator in order to learn about population growth, limiting factors, and...

A respectful resource is available to support your ecology lecture. Introduce the population concepts of limiting factors and carrying capacity and then examine the example of a deer population in northern Arizona. Take a look at the...

Young biologists identify how plants and animals are affected by changes in their ecosystem and environment.  The concepts of succession, maintenance of habitats, interrelationships, and adaptation are all discussed. This well-developed...

Students explore the effects of different density-dependent and density-independent factors on population growth. They explore how the interactions of organisms can affect population growth. Students explore the pattern of population...

Twenty-two straightforward questions query your emerging ecologists on energy flow through ecosystems. They review abiotic and biotic factors, trophic levels, photosynthesis and cellular respiration, food chains, and primary...

This smart slide show outlines energy flow in ecosystems. It addresses the sun as the primary source of all energy, flows into explanations of photosynthesis and respiration, and explores trophic feeding levels and productivity....

For AP biology or ecology classes, here is a worksheet that explores population growth. Carrying capacity, limiting factors, and k-strategies are dealt with using short-answer questions. 

A complete study of population ecology is covered by this learning exercise. Biology or ecology learners answer questions and interpret population graphs. This can be used as the intended guided notes learning exercise or assigned as...