2. Why did the reindeer grow at this rate?

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Chapter14: Plants And Fungi
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Can someone please help with number 2? Thank you.
Name:
The reindeer primarily used lichen as a food source. Lichen is a combination of a fungus and an algae that live in a
mutualistic relationship. Lichen grow very slowly in Arctic regions such as this. World War II ended soon after the
reindeer were introduced, so none of them were ever actually hunted by the Coast Guard officers. The island was
abandoned by humans, and the deer were left without any predators. In these conditions, their population thrived.
Year
A biologist working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began making regular visits to the island. In 1957 he
counted 1,350 reindeer. He also noted that many of the lichen patches appeared trampled and barren.
Graph the reindeer population from 1944-1963.
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
Population of
Reindeer
29
37
54
81
104
Class:
139
177
240
313
398
501
630
878
1,350
Date:
1,918
2,840
3,688
4,040
4,933
6,000
The biologist noted the population continued to rise, but the health of the herd seemed to be decreasing. Finally,
when he returned to the island again in 1966, he observed only 42 remaining reindeer. The island was covered with
thousands of skeletons. Add this data to the graph above.
Of the 42 remaining reindeer, only one was male. The male was observed to have irregularly shaped antlers, and
probably had some sort of genetic defect. By 1967, the reindeer were completely absent from the island. Add this
data to the graph above.
Transcribed Image Text:Name: The reindeer primarily used lichen as a food source. Lichen is a combination of a fungus and an algae that live in a mutualistic relationship. Lichen grow very slowly in Arctic regions such as this. World War II ended soon after the reindeer were introduced, so none of them were ever actually hunted by the Coast Guard officers. The island was abandoned by humans, and the deer were left without any predators. In these conditions, their population thrived. Year A biologist working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began making regular visits to the island. In 1957 he counted 1,350 reindeer. He also noted that many of the lichen patches appeared trampled and barren. Graph the reindeer population from 1944-1963. 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 Population of Reindeer 29 37 54 81 104 Class: 139 177 240 313 398 501 630 878 1,350 Date: 1,918 2,840 3,688 4,040 4,933 6,000 The biologist noted the population continued to rise, but the health of the herd seemed to be decreasing. Finally, when he returned to the island again in 1966, he observed only 42 remaining reindeer. The island was covered with thousands of skeletons. Add this data to the graph above. Of the 42 remaining reindeer, only one was male. The male was observed to have irregularly shaped antlers, and probably had some sort of genetic defect. By 1967, the reindeer were completely absent from the island. Add this data to the graph above.
Class:
Analysis
1. Based on the graph above, did the reindeer show exponential or logistic growth?
2. Why did the reindeer grow at this rate?
Date:
3. Based on the graph above, what do you think the carrying capacity of this island was for reindeer? Expla
how you came to this answer.
4. Why is it bad to for a population to overshoot the carrying capacity of an ecosystem?
6.
5. If the Coast Guard were to try this again on a similar island, what changes could they make to prevent the
same outcome?
Critics of this story will argue that one of the factors that contributed to the population crash of the deer
a severe winter that created snow too deep for many of the reindeer to dig through for food. Does this m
the deer would not have experienced a dieback if not for the blizzard? How does this new information
change your perspective on this event?
Transcribed Image Text:Class: Analysis 1. Based on the graph above, did the reindeer show exponential or logistic growth? 2. Why did the reindeer grow at this rate? Date: 3. Based on the graph above, what do you think the carrying capacity of this island was for reindeer? Expla how you came to this answer. 4. Why is it bad to for a population to overshoot the carrying capacity of an ecosystem? 6. 5. If the Coast Guard were to try this again on a similar island, what changes could they make to prevent the same outcome? Critics of this story will argue that one of the factors that contributed to the population crash of the deer a severe winter that created snow too deep for many of the reindeer to dig through for food. Does this m the deer would not have experienced a dieback if not for the blizzard? How does this new information change your perspective on this event?
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