Activities

1. When more individuals are dying in a population than are being born. What will most likely be the result if the trend continues?
   
   
2. The amount of resources available to organisms and the way that those resources limit the number of individuals that can survive are known as…

3. If there are too many limiting factors on a population what could be the end result for that population?
   
   
4. A squirrel has many environmental factors that can affect whether it survives or not. List 2 abiotic factors and 2 biotic factors.

5. In the past 20 years, there have been a maximum of 20 squirrels in a park at any given time. Explain why the area has never had more than 20 squirrels.
   
   
6. A farmer knows that planting too many corn plants in her field will cause many of the plants to die. Explain why this is so.

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Extinction
   
   
2. Limiting factors

3. Extinction
   
   
4. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:

• Abiotic: amount of water, weather
• Biotic: food source, competition

5. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:

• The carrying capacity of the area is 20. That means that there are only so many resources available for the squirrels therefore it limits the population to no more than 20.

6. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:

• The field can only support a certain number of corn plants because they must compete for resources such as sunlight, water, and nutrients.