Lesson 8 Testing Predictions

We also investigated disturbances during Lesson 5 when we figured out carrying capacity in the wildebeest population (Figure 1). Use data from your model and what you know about how disturbances affect populations to make a prediction to answer the following:

The Serengeti is a biodiversity ecosystem, home to over 70 large mammals and 500 bird species. There are 314 plant species and hundreds of insects and other small organisms. Our models include a very small sample of the organisms that are part of the system. It would be impossible for scientists to count every single organism in the Serengeti system. They use a measure called a diversity index that helps them understand the relationship between the number of species and their estimated population size.  One group of scientists estimated the diversity index for herbivores in the southern part of the Serengeti in the short-grass plains for more than 20 years. Their findings are shown in Figure 2.