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Energy in Ecosystems > Invasive Species — Enrich
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Eunit - PLT Curriculum Pilot

  • Overview
  • Background
  • Doing the Activity
  • Evaluate
  • Enrich
  • Tools

Invasive Species — Enrich

Option 1: Read aloud Science Warriors: The Battle Against Invasive Species by Sneed B. Collard III or Aliens from Earth by Mary Batten and Beverly Doyle, described in the Additional Resources. Invite a local scientist or resource specialist to talk to the class about invasive species in your area and what people are doing to control them.

Option 2: Have students participate in an invasive species control project. Contact your local parks or natural resources department to find out about projects in your area.

Option 3: Have students research species that are native to the United States but are considered invasive in other countries.

Option 4: Give students a math problem related to invasive species. The following example shows how these species reproduce at a geometric rate.

3-5_Activity-6-Invasive-Species_Nutria

Nutria, Myocastor coypus
©Shutterstock: Edwin Butter

  • Problem: You have a pair of nutrias and they breed twice a year. Each litter has four young, two females and two males. The females can begin to have young at 6 months. How many nutrias will you have in three years?
  • Answer: 1,458 nutrias (problem solving is detailed below)

 

Total Population Adult Females Adult Males Young Females Young Males
Year 0 2 1 1 0 0
After 6 Months 6 1 1 2 2
After 1 Year 18 3 3 6 6
After 1.5 Years 54 9 9 18 18
After 2 Years 162 27 27 54 54
After 2.5 Years 486 81 81 162 162
After 3 Years 1,458 243 243 486 486

See Additional Resources for more ideas to enrich this activity.

ENERGY IN ECOSYSTEMS

  • Introduction

ACTIVITIES

  • Pre-Assessment
  • 1: The Forest of S.T. Shrew
  • 2: A Home for Many
  • 3: Web of Life
  • 4: Power Plants
  • 5: Every Tree for Itself
  • 6: Invasive Species
  • Post-Assessment

APPENDICES

  • Standards Connections
  • Additional Resources
  • PLT Conceptual Framework
  • Acknowledgements
  • Technical Support

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