Examine the wildebeest migration data. What do the data tell us?
Examine the wildebeest migration data. What do the data tell us?
Question 1
1.
Question 2
2.
Question 3
3.
Question 4
4.
Explain how you used this data set to support your claim.
Question 5
5.
Question 6
6.
Question 7
7.
Question 8
8.
We think that wildebeest migrate to get more food and that the migration happens in the same pattern every year.
1. What could be causing the pattern? Why do they go to the same place at the same time of year?
2. Describe the data that you might be able to collect to test your hypothesis.
Before we examined the data, we brainstormed several possible explanations for why the wildebeests migrated. We came up with several possible answers: excessive predation/poaching, chasing food, disease, weather, random movement. Which of these did our data most strongly support?
Food
Random
Weather
Excessive predation
Disease
Which data set provided evidence for your answer to #1?
The anthrax infection rate
The bone marrow fat %
What does bone marrow fat % indicate about an individual wildebeest?
Overall health - lower % indicates better health
Mental stress - higher % indicates greater stress
Overall health - higher % indicates better health
Mental stress - lower % indicates greater stress
A limiting factor is any factor that keeps a population size from growing. What seems to be the strongest limiting factor?
food
predation
disease
poaching
Is this limiting factor equally strong during all times of the year?
yes
no
During what time of year is this limiting factor the most impactful?