This activity addresses the following Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs):

Biology 1: The student will plan and conduct investigations in which:

• observations of living things are recorded in the lab and the field; and
• appropriate technology is used for gathering and analyzing data and communicating results.

Biology 5: The student will investigate and understand life functions of monerans, protests, fungi, plants, and animals, including humans. Key concepts include:

• how their structures are alike and different;
• analyses of their responses to the environment; and
• observation of local organisms when applicable.

Biology 8: The student will investigate and understand how populations change through time. Key concepts include:

• investigating how variation of traits, reproductive strategies, and environmental pressures impact on the survival of populations; and
• recognizing how adaptations lead to natural selection.

Biology 9: The student will investigate and understand dynamic equilibria within populations, communities, and ecosystems. Key concepts include:

• interactions within and among populations including carrying capacities, limiting factors, and growth curves;
• succession patterns in ecosystems;
• the effects of natural events and human influences on ecosystems; and
• analysis of local ecosystems.