Food Web Stability

Teacher Page
A WebQuest for 7th Grade Science
Designed by
Carl Pitts
cp7654@student.armstrong.edu

Introduction | Learners | Standards | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion

| Credits | Student Page

Introduction
The Georgia Standard S7L4 calls for students to be able to understand the
energy flow in an ecosystem. Students also need to be able to understand
the flow of energy represented by a food web diagram of an ecosystem.
Students are required to understand how various factors in the ecosystem
influence the food webs that develop.
Students will be learning the intricacies of a food web, and how changes to one part of
the food web can ripple out and affect the other members of the food web. Students will
learn how create a (simplified) sustainable ecosystem. Students will also learn about
how big of an effect simple environmental changes can have to the stability of an
ecosystem.

Learners

This lesson is designed for 7th grade science. If the lesson can easily be
extended to additional grades and subjects, mention that briefly here as well.
Learners should be able to understand cause and effect. Students should also have an
understanding of the various distinctions between producers and consumers.

Curriculum Standards
S7L4. Students will examine the dependence of organisms on one another and their
environments.
c. Recognize that changes in environmental conditions can affect the
survival of both individuals and entire species.
Students will have to engage in critical thinking Critical thinking?Observation and
categorization
Include Cognitive Level (according to the revised Blooms Taxonomy)

Process
1. You will divide into three groups of equal size. One group will receive green
armbands (grasshoppers), one blue (frogs), and one group gets red (hawks).
Teacher: Spread out the plants by scattering most of the popcorn over the area. (You
will have some grasshopper sashes left over). Make sure the students understand the
rules of the simulation.
2. Record the starting population numbers on your data sheet.
Teacher: Sample data sheet
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Special Rules: None
Safety Zone
More Hoppers Hopper Head Start
Start Survivors Start Survivors Start Survivors Start Survivors
Hawks
Frogs
Grasshoppers
3. After the first round record the numbers of each surviving organism on your data
sheet.
4. The conditions for survival have changed. At least two grasshoppers, two
frogs, and one hawk must be alive at the end of a five-minute round to have

a sustainable food web. It is your job to determine what changes need to be

made in order to achieve a sustainable food web. Only one new change can be
implemented per round.
Teacher: Below are some possible suggestions for changes in environmental
conditions:
- Increase the number of grasshoppers.
- Provide more plants (popcorn).
- Set up safety zones for the grasshoppers and frogs to hide from the hawk.
- Allow the grasshoppers to forage for 30 seconds before the frogs wake
up.
5. After making the desired change to the game, record starting populations. Also write
down any changes implemented after the first game.
6. After the second round, record the numbers of each surviving organism on your data
sheet.
7. Repeat this process for 3 more rounds, adding and taking away the various rule
changes.
8. Reflect on all previous trials and write a 3 paragraphs discussing the four trials
involving changes to the environment (rules). In the first paragraph, talk about each
change and describe what effect it had on the game. In the second paragraph,
determine and discuss what the simulation changes are equivalent to changes we can
make to the newly discovered planet. In the third paragraph, choose the best stable
ecosystem for the new planet and justify your answer. If there were no stable
ecosystems, discuss why not. If you can think of any other changes that might stabilize
the ecosystem, discuss them in the third paragraph.
Teacher: Here are some directed questions to help the students start thinking about
their experience and what they have learned.
- What population sizes of grasshoppers, frogs, and hawks produce a
sustainable food web?
- What might happen if there were only half as many popcorn plants? No
plants? Many more plants?
- If there were no frogs what might happen to the plant population? The
grasshopper population? The hawk population?

Resources Needed

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plastic sandwich bag for each student

plastic produce bag for every two students
yard of green cloth
yard of blue cloth
yard of red cloth
large easel pad or sheet of cardboard for writing data
felt marking pen
kitchen timer with a bell
roll of masking tape
large bag of popped corn

1. Arm Bands. Cut the cloth into strips to make arm bands of three different colors. For
every twelve students make: 8 green arm bands (grasshoppers), 4 blue arm bands
(frogs), and 4 red arm bands (hawks).
2. Stomachs. Make stomach bags for the grasshoppers by placing a strip of masking
tape across each plastic sandwich bag so that the bottom edge of the tape is 4 cm from
the bottom of the bag. The frogs and hawks will use plastic produce bags for their
stomachs.

Evaluation
A successful lesson should include enthusiastic and active participation from
every student that is able to participate. At the end of a successful lesson,
students should be able to successfully write three paragraphs on the
experience, as outlined in the Process section. Students should now have a
clear understanding of how easily environmental changes can affect
ecosystems and the food webs in them.

Conclusion
This lesson is great at giving students first hand experience with the fragility
of ecosystems and the food webs within them. Students should understand
that even seemingly small changes to an ecosystem can have large and far
reaching effects in the sustainability of that ecosystem.

Credits & References

The game rules were found on the Washington State Office of
Superintendent of Public Instruction website at:
https://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKE

wj7wfn705LOAhVRziYKHcZCBsIQFggqMAI&url=http%3A%2F
%2Fwww.k12.wa.us%2Fscience%2FProfDev
%2FTheFoodWebGame.doc&usg=AFQjCNFmemE7KzJoGEk_tW_LI1hOBx84Q&sig2=HKqLxUhXjazZB1nupiCybg&bvm=bv.128153897,d.eWE
Food web image retrieved from:
https://sciencebob.com/what-is-the-difference-between-food-chain-and-a-foodweb/