Question

Someone please explain this to me.

Answer 1

Procedure:

The prey will be represented by the small 1 cm × 1 cm squares of paper and the habitat is represented by the 1 meter × 1 meter piece of fabric. Hypothesize which color prey you think is most likely to be captured by the predator and which color prey is most likely to survive, and then record your hypothesis. Be sure that your hypothesis includes explanations for your predictions.
Have the two partners (prey) stand with their backs to the habitat while you scatter 20 squares of each color randomly on the fabric. Try to achieve a uniform distribution, and be sure to separate any that are clumped together.
Have the partner(s) randomly pick up the prey as fast as they can. Have them stop when they have collected a total of 75 prey, leaving the other 25 remaining in the habitat.
Count the number of survivors of each color. Each surviving prey has three offspring of the same color, bringing the total population back up to 100. Record the number of each color in the next generation in your data table.
Count out the correct number of each colored prey and scatter them on the fabric. Repeat the process two more times, for a total of three generations.

Answer 2

Could you give me some more details about this assignment? I'm not sure I can help though, it seems like something you need to do yourself :o

Answer 3

Like are you supposed to know the colors/species for the prey?

Answer 4

I understand everything up the where the "offspring" talk starts happening. Ive done everything up the there, i just dont get what its supposed to tell me.

Answer 5

"Count the number of survivors of each color. Each surviving prey has three offspring of the same color, bringing the total population back up to 100. "

I dont know the actual colours, but lets say you have survivors: 20 green and 5 yellow

then each one has 3 offspring (kids) that are the same colour

so in total you have 20*3= 60 green offspring + 20 original parents = 80 green

5*3=15 yellow offspring + 5 parents = 20 yellow

new population: 80 green and 20 yellow


Does that make sense?

Answer 6

@aaronq's calculations are right.

The assignment describes a starting population of 100. It imposed a 75% reduction of that quantity based on random predation. At this point, 25 are left.

It suggested you to triple the quantity of each chromatic square. And when it did, it simply asked you to visualize how the remaining 25 survivors begin to reproduce (in this case, asexually) and that each survivor birthed 3 children (offspring).

If each of the 25 survivors births 3 children, there will be 75 children who will mature into adults and bring the population back into 100 (25 parents + 75 grown children, now adults = 100 chromatic squares, or prey).

Then simply segregate the chromatic squares based on color (note: assignment wants you to presume each color represents a single species, and each chromatic square represents member of that species), and record the quantity of each color.

Repeat the process fully twice more and this should give you enough data to recognize how the proportion of each species slightly fluctuates due to random predation and how this type of predation compares with natural predation, which is the whole point of the exercise.

Note: this vantage point of random predation gives you clarity upon the theory of evolution since it significantly contrasts the non-random process of natural selection, the discriminatory law that governs natural predation.