Births, deaths, immigration and emigration
Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.
Noah reads the graph of one plot. What is the density of seedlings at year 4?
- 0.2 seedlings per square meter: 20 ÷ 100
- 5 seedlings per square meter: 100 ÷ 20
- 3.5 seedlings per square meter: 70 ÷ 20, the count at year 3
- 100 seedlings per square meter: the count at year 4
Read this first
Bees on one hillside during one year (model data)
count bees at the start of the year 250 births 40 deaths 15 immigrants (moved in) 10 emigrants (moved out) 5 Bo reads the table. What is the change in the number of bees, and the change for each bee at the start?
- +50 bees, or 0.20 per bee: 50 ÷ 250
- +30 bees, or 30 per bee: the count as a rate
- +30 bees, or 0.12 per bee: 30 ÷ 250
- +25 bees, or 0.10 per bee: 25 ÷ 250
One field of plants over two years (model data)
measure year 1 year 2 plants 200 400 area (square meters) 40 100 Esme reads the table. What happened to the density of plants from year 1 to year 2?
- It rose, from 5 to 10 plants per square meter: 400 ÷ 40
- It doubled, from 200 to 400 plants, because the count of plants doubled in a year
- It fell, from 5 to 4 plants per square meter, as the area grew faster
- It stayed at 5 plants per square meter, as both numbers grew
Two plots of seedlings in a normal year and a drought year (model data)
plot percent that survive in a normal year percent that survive in a drought year sparse plot, 10 seedlings per square meter 90 63 crowded plot, 50 seedlings per square meter 60 42 Jun reads the table of two plots of seedlings. Which statement fits the data?
- Crowding lowers survival in both years; the drought cut each plot by the same 30%
- Crowding does not matter: both plots were cut by the same drought
- The drought cut a larger share from the sparse plot, since it fell 27 points against 18
- The drought cut a larger share from the crowded plot, since it ended lower, at 42%
Mark and recapture on a lake of 50 hectares (model data)
step ducks marked and released in the first catch 40 caught in the second catch 50 marked ducks in the second catch 8 Luz reads the model data for one lake. What are the estimated number of ducks and the density?
- 250 ducks, and 250 ducks per hectare: the count as density
- 250 ducks, and 0.2 ducks per hectare: 50 ÷ 250
- 250 ducks, and 5 ducks per hectare: 250 ÷ 50
- 6.4 ducks, and 0.13 ducks per hectare: flipped
Notebook
Notes on turtles on one island (classmate's notebook), 4 lines. Columns: line, entry. Line 1: Births, 18, and immigrants, 7, add 25 turtles. Line 2: Deaths, 9, and emigrants, 11, remove 20 turtles. Line 3: So the change is births minus deaths, 18 − 9 = 9. Line 4: The change is positive, so the number of turtles rose.
Ari reads a classmate's notebook about turtles. Which line has the mistake?
- Line 2: 9 deaths + 11 emigrants remove 19 turtles altogether, not 20 turtles
- Line 1: 18 births + 7 immigrants add 24 turtles altogether, not 25 turtles
- Line 3: the change must count the moves too, 25 − 20 = 5, not 9
- Line 4: a change of 9 means the number of turtles fell
Notebook
Notes on two plots of seedlings (classmate's notebook), 4 lines. Columns: line, entry. Line 1: Plot X holds 120 seedlings on 40 square meters, which is 3 per square meter. Line 2: Plot Y holds 90 seedlings on 15 square meters, which is 6 per square meter. Line 3: Plot X has the higher density, since 120 is more than 90. Line 4: So plot Y has twice the density of plot X.
Milo reads a classmate's notebook about two plots. Which line has the mistake?
- Line 4: 6 is three times 3, so plot Y has three times the density
- Line 1: 120 ÷ 40 is 0.3 seedlings per square meter, not 3 seedlings
- Line 3: density is count ÷ area, so plot Y at 6 is higher than plot X at 3
- Line 2: 90 ÷ 15 is 60 seedlings per square meter, not 6 seedlings
Two ponds of frogs during one year (model data)
pond frogs at the start births A 500 50 B 80 16 Ren reads the table. Which claim goes with the right reason?
- Claim: the ponds have the same rate. Reason: each pond had births in the year
- Claim: pond A has the higher rate per frog. Reason: it had more births, 50 against 16
- Claim: pond B has the higher rate per frog. Reason: it has fewer frogs, 80 against 500
- Claim: pond B has the higher rate per frog. Reason: 16 ÷ 80 is 0.20, against 0.10
Tala reads the graph. Which claim goes with the right reason?
Ducks on one lake over five years (model data). Time (years) across, 0 to 5, a mark every 1. Ducks (number) up, 0 to 200, a mark every 50. Ducks joins (0, 100), (1, 130), (2, 154), (3, 172), (4, 184), (5, 190) with straight pieces. Ducks on one lake over five years (model data). Time (years) across, 0 to 5, a mark every 1. Ducks (number) up, 0 to 200, a mark every 50. Ducks joins (0, 100), (1, 130), (2, 154), (3, 172), (4, 184), (5, 190) with straight pieces. Ducks on one lake over five years (model data) 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 50 100 150 200 Time (years) Ducks (number) Ducks - Claim: the population has stopped changing. Reason: the line flattens near 190
- Claim: growth is speeding up. Reason: the line keeps climbing from 100 to 190
- Claim: the population is still growing. Reason: each yearly change is above 0, but smaller, 30 to 6
- Claim: the population is shrinking. Reason: the yearly gains get smaller, from 30 to 6
Mark and recapture on two lakes (model data)
lake marked ducks released ducks in the second catch marked ducks in the second catch A 50 80 10 B 50 80 20 Zee reads the table. Which claim goes with the right reason?
- Claim: lake B has more ducks. Reason: (50 × 20) ÷ 80 gives the larger number
- Claim: the lakes are the same size. Reason: 50 ducks were marked in each
- Claim: lake A has more ducks. Reason: 10 of 80 caught were marked, against 20 of 80
- Claim: lake B has more ducks. Reason: more marked ducks were caught there, 20 against 10