Purpose
To observe what happens in area that is overly populated and be able to answer the question “What are the effects of a big population on resources.”
Additional information
Population refers to the number of people living in a place. The major causes of population change are births, deaths, and migration. When more babies are born each year and less people die, this condition is described as high birth rate and low death rate. When this trend continues from year to year, a phenomenon called rapid population growth occurs. Rapid population growth has a great impact on a community’s available resources such as food, water and housing. These resources may not be enough to sustain the needs of the people. Earth’s resources are limited. It cannot support a large population.
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Required materials
- 10 goldfishes
- 2 wide mouthed large jar
- 4 hydrilla plants
- water
Estimated Experiment Time
10 minutes to prepare and three days for observation
Step-By-Step Procedure
- 1. Put two gold fishes and two hydrilla plants of the same size in a wide mouthed glass jar with water. Label this glass jar A.
- 2. Put eight gold fishes and two hydrilla pants of the same size in another glass jar with water. Label this glass jar B.
- 3. Observe the condition of the setup after a couple of days.
Note
Use a small strainer to transfer the goldfishes in the glass jars. Make sure the goldfishes don’t jump out of the jar by putting just enough water in the glass jars.
Observation
Compare the space occupied by the fishes in the glass jars A and B. How do the fishes move in the two jars? Compare the hydrilla plants in jars A and B. Compare the color of the water in jars A and B. In which setup do you think will fishes live better? Why? Why might too many fishes in a place be a problem? Describe the condition created when the supply of food, water, and space does not increase but population does.
Result
In comparing glass jars A and B, you will notice that the two goldfishes in glass jar A have more than enough space to swim around and play while glass jar B is too overcrowded that they can’t even swim around. The water in glass jar A remains clear after two days while the water in glass jar B became dark and dirty. Fishes will definitely live better in glass jar A since there is enough space and food for them. If the supply of food, water, and space does not increase but population does, there will be a shortage for food and water as well as overcrowding. The experiment shows the effects of increasing population on the basic needs of living things. Food, water, and space are basic needs. If the supply of resources is not enough to meet the needs of the growing population, there will be a shortage. There will be overcrowding due to limited space. The growth and development of living things will be affected.
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