Experiment 1: (Equal initial populations, competition, and resource densities)
Set the initial population of both Brown and Blue Sparrows to 200; set competition for each species at 0.50; set resources densities for both insects and seeds at 100/m2. Run the experiment.
Are the populations relatively stable over time? (Support your conclusion with a graph).
Are the populations similar in size over time? (Why or why not)?
What does this stability or instability suggest about the competition between the species?
Experiment 2: (Equal initial populations; Brown Sparrows are exclusive seed consumers; Blue Sparrows consume both seeds and insects)
Set the initial populations for both Brown and Blue Sparrows; lower the competition for Brown Sparrows to zero, leave competition for Blue Sparrows at 0.50; leave resource densities for both insects and seeds at 100/m2. Run the experiment.
Are the populations relatively stable over time? (Support your conclusion with a graph).
Are the populations similar in size over time? (Why or why not)?
When one species (Brown Sparrows) has an exclusive diet, what does this suggest about the effect of competition?
Experiment 3: (Equal initial populations; Brown Sparrows are exclusive seed consumers; Blue Sparrows consume both seeds and insects; insects are a relatively scarce resource)
Set the initial populations for both Brown and Blue Sparrows; lower the competition for Brown Sparrows to zero, leave competition for Blue Sparrows at 0.50; leave resource density for seeds at 100/m2; set insect density at 10/m2. Run the experiment.
Are the populations relatively stable over time? (Support your conclusion with a graph).
Are the populations similar in size over time? (Why or why not)?
When one species (Brown Sparrows) has an exclusive diet, what is the effect on the other species (Blue Sparrows) when the resource density of insects decreases?
Conclusions and Discussion
(In a paragraph about 5-6 sentences long, describe the effects of competition you observed in the above experiments as they relate to competition between the two species and the density of resources)