Activity 5: The Virtual Ecosystem
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Introduction: What is an ecosystem?

An ecosystem is a place where plants and animals live together in the same environment. In this activity, you will learn more about the Virtual Ecosystem. This time, you will help a rabbit survive in the field by finding plants to eat and places to hide from foxes!


The Virtual Ecosystem: Rabbit

Instructions

1. Click the Play button to start. Move your rabbit with the arrow keys on your keyboard. To eat plants, move your rabbit over the plants.
2. To run the model again, click the Reset button
3. The slider shows how hungry your rabbit is.

YOUR GOAL: How long can you keep your rabbit alive? 		Hunger:

Rabbit Populations: Overview
A large group of rabbits lives in the Virtual Ecosystem. This group is called a population. The population of rabbits shares many similar traits. Two traits that all rabbits have are long ears and a sensitive nose. Rabbits use their ears and noses to sense preditors.

Just like puppies every rabbit in the population is not exactly the same. The differences in rabbits are called variations. Some variations can help some rabbits survive longer by finding more plants to eat and hiding from preditors quickly.

Preditors: Foxes
There is another animal in the virtual field--foxes! The fox's favorite food is rabbit. In the Virtual Ecosystem, foxes are preditors and rabbits are prey. On the next page, help your rabbit survive by eating plants and avoiding foxes.

Second Model: Predator and Prey
Instructions

1. There are two varieties of rabbits. Choose a rabbit by clicking on the button or the button. Some rabbits can hide in rabbit holes!
2. Click the Play button to start. Move your rabbit with the arrow keys on your keyboard. To eat plants, move your rabbit over the plants. To hide in a bunny hole , move your rabbit over a hole.
3. To run the model again, click the Reset button .
4. The slider shows how hungry your rabbit is.
YOUR GOAL: These two varieties of rabbits have different ways of keeping away from foxes. Can you figure out how each rabbit can survive? Take a picture of your favorite rabbit and explain why you like it in your labbook.

Hunger:

Rabbits: Variation
You experimented with two varieties of rabbits. Even though they were different, they both had to eat plants and stay away from foxes.




1. What were the differences you noticed between the two rabbits? 2. Could both types of rabbits fit in the bunny holes? Yes No Not sure
Adaptations: Rabbits
Every animal in an ecosystem needs to eat. Every animal also needs to protect itself from being eaten! The rabbits' bodies are adapted to live in the Virtual Ecosystem and to hide from foxes.



3. What special adaptation helped the small rabbit survive in the field? A small stomach so it wasn't very hungry. A small body so it could fit in rabbit holes. Long ears so it could hear foxes coming. 4. What special adaptation helped the fast rabbit survive in the field? Big teeth so it could eat more plants. Long legs to run away from foxes quickly. A small body so it could fit in rabbit holes.
Conclusion

You have completed Activity 5. Good job! In the next activity, you will explore what happens to a population of rabbits when the environment changes. Click the X at the top of this window to close the activity and save your work.