The activity that was done this past Thursday was implemented to enhance the idea of density-dependent and density-independent factors within a population.
The main idea of the activity consisted of both deer and resources i.e. water, food, and shelter.
We started off with two deer at one end of the field and many resources at the other end. In the beginning the two deer nonchalantly chose the resources they wanted because there was an abundance of resources. However, as the number of deer increased and the available amount of resources decreased, there was competition between the deer population. This is known as intraspecific competition.
A density-dependent factor is a factor that influences population regulation and is more evident when the population density increases or decreases. The examples that were shown in the simulation included the competition of resources between the deer as the deer population increased as well as predation.
A density-independent factor is a factor that influences population regulation regardless of population density. Several examples that were shown in the simulation included a forest fire, a drought, and a flood.
After several rounds of repeating the same process in which the deer would gather its resources, and incorporating the several different density-dependent and density-independent factors, the population of the deer species became extinct. It goes to show that too much of one certain factor will result in negative consequences. So there must always be a balance of numbers within all the species.
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