3.1 LabOwl Pellet
Instructions
The Owl Pellet exercise is intended to help you apply the concepts covered in Chapter 4 about relationships between organisms in communities. Predator/Prey relationships are at the foundation of many food webs and can be explored to identify the underlying structure of ecosystems.
Complete all three parts of this lab. Answer the pre- and post-lab questions using complete sentences and correct spelling and grammar. Give each section a title and be sure to number your answers. You may embed your diagram or include it as a separate document for submission.
Part 1: Pre-Lab
Answer the following questions in complete sentences. You may use your textbook as a resource to help you answer the questions.
View the PowerPoint Presentation: Owl Pellet
- What are some possibilities for relationships between species?
- Based on information found in your text, which of these relationships best describes the relationship between an owl and a vole?
- What is an owl pellet? How is it formed?
- What information could be obtained from the dissection of an owl pellet?
- What type of things do you predict you will find in the pellet?
Part 2: Lab Experiment
- Complete the Owl Pellet dissection activity
Part 3: Post-Lab
- The purpose of this lab was to explore food chains, food webs, and to show you how energy flows through the different trophic levels. Based on the information provided in your lecture material and this lab construct a diagram of a food web with an owl being the top of the food chain. Include a minimum of 5 organisms in your food web including the owl. You may create your diagram using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or you may sketch the relationship on paper, include your name, and upload an image of your work.
- Perform a generic search on each of the animals in your food web and provide the habitat and food source for each one.
- What parts of the prey were not digested by the owl? How do you know?
Once you have completed this lab, save your file(s) as W4_Lab_your_name. If you use PowerPoint to create your diagram, name your file W4_Lab_diagram_your name.
Submit your file(s) using the Upload Instructions below.
Important Note: Your file should be in Word or PDF format.