Page 151 - A Field Guide to Fairfax County's Plants and Wildlife
P. 151
Activity: Dinosaur dilemma
Imagine that a scientist working with dinosaur DNA has been able
to bring back the Velociraptor, a small (about 1.5 meters) but speedy
feathered carnivorous dinosaur. These sharp-eyed predators will
eat anything they can catch and kill. Suppose a population of these
dinosaurs was released in Fairfax County. Based on what you have
learned about relationships that living organisms have with each
other and their environment, what do you think the impact of this
introduction would be on organisms, populations and/or communities
in the county? What changes might there be to food webs, habitats and
other ecosystem components? How might environmental conditions
be affected by these changes? Remember, humans are part of the
environment, too!
r 147 r
Imagine that a scientist working with dinosaur DNA has been able
to bring back the Velociraptor, a small (about 1.5 meters) but speedy
feathered carnivorous dinosaur. These sharp-eyed predators will
eat anything they can catch and kill. Suppose a population of these
dinosaurs was released in Fairfax County. Based on what you have
learned about relationships that living organisms have with each
other and their environment, what do you think the impact of this
introduction would be on organisms, populations and/or communities
in the county? What changes might there be to food webs, habitats and
other ecosystem components? How might environmental conditions
be affected by these changes? Remember, humans are part of the
environment, too!
r 147 r
