Lab: (U2 M1) SimBio Virtual Lab Keystone Predator
This Lab is based on a series of famous experiments that were conducted in the 1960s along the rocky shore of Washington state, in the northwestern United States. Similar intertidal communities can be found throughout the Pacific Northwest from Oregon to British Columbia in Canada. The nine species in this laboratory’s simulated rocky intertidal area include three different algae (including one you may have eaten in a Japanese restaurant), three stationary, or “sessile” filter-feeders, and three mobile consumers. You will transplant species to determine competitive relationships and sample gut contents to construct a food web. Use your data to predict what will happen when each predator is removed from the system, and then test your predictions. You will need one document to complete this Lab:
CU2 M2 Lab Report (Google Doc)
Your task is to complete all of the exercises in the Lab simulations, including the extension experiments. Once you have completed all the experiments, you will take a Self-check and submit the Lab Report for grading.
When you load the Lab simulation, you may be prompted to print the "Keystone Predator Workbook". The workbook introduces you to the organisms that live in the tide pools and guides you through the exercises to be completed. This is a fairly large document (~26 pages). This workbook will not be turned in or graded; therefore, it is not necessary to print the entire workbook, but you may find it convenient to do so. You may choose to record your data, answer questions, and analyze results in your own personal notes in lieu of printing out the entire document.
You are not required to complete the 'Graded Questions' exercise within the software.