Archived Material: CS in Science Module 3 (for StarLogo Nova 1.0, Flash version updated 2015). This Life Science module begins with an exploration of a simple predator-prey model to consider who eats whom—and what happens when one population grows faster than another. Students develop their own model of a local ecosystem and learn about ecosystem dynamics, producers and consumers, and interdependent relationships within an ecosystem.
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Thank you for posting this excellent resource. We are starting a unit on the relationship between form and function. This simulation is a perfect stepping off point.
What I would like to add are additional forms of Rabbits (e.g. Rabbit II, Rabbit III, and Rabbit IV). By having 4-5 different types of rabbits in the same environment, we would be modeling variation within a species. The students would then be able to manipulate various aspects of the rabbits within the environment, and see their results on the graph. I have tried to make copies of the original Rabbits, but have not had any success with running the simulation with multiple Rabbit variants. My current model is: http://www.slnova.org/sircollins88/projects/400960/ Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hello sircollins88,
I think your idea is a good one and I hope you will share your finished model and lesson(s). Here's what was missing from your code. You created the new breed Rabbit II based on Rabbits, all good, but you need to also add the Energy II trait for the Rabbit II breed. It does not have access to the Rabbits version of Energy, it needs its own. To give your Rabbit II breed a new trait, click on Edit Breeds then scroll down to find your breed and click on edit trait. Then click "Add trait" and name your trait. When the trait has been created, you will see something like this (below). Just hit the X to close the window and you are all set.
Hope that helps!
--Irene