Predator-Prey Ecosystem Simulator

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Plants: 0 Caribou: 0 Wolves: 0

Generation: 0

Simulation

Grid Size

Speed 15

Starting Conditions

Plant Coverage 30%

Caribou Count 500

Wolf Count 100

Plants

Growth Rate 4%

Caribou (Prey)

Breeding Rate 15%

Speed / Agility 50%

Wolves (Predator)

Breeding Rate 12%

Hunting Skill 50%

Try These Experiments

1. Watch the Cycle

Press Play with default settings and watch the population graph. Can you see the caribou population rise and fall, just like the graph from your worksheet? Notice how wolf numbers follow caribou numbers with a delay.

2. Faster Caribou

Increase "Caribou Speed / Agility" to 90%. What happens to the wolves? This is like Question 4a — what if caribou evolved to become faster?

3. Unadapted Wolves

Set caribou speed high AND wolf hunting skill low. Do the wolves survive? This is Question 4b — what happens if wolves don't evolve to match faster caribou?

4. Remove the Predators

Set wolf count to the minimum and reset. What happens to the caribou and plants without wolves to control them? What does this tell you about why predators matter?

Predator–Prey Ecosystem