Proposals for the analysis in the ecological systems: simulation models to study exponential population growth

Abstract

As a didactic proposal for teaching the subject Ecological Systems in The University La Salle, the application of population growth models known as "plays with beans" was improved. The variable tables for each model were received in class by students according to the methodologies proposed by Franco et al. ( 1995) and modified by the author of this essay. During the development of exercises in class, three different forms of exponential growth were simulated: explosive, steady state and extinction growth models. Moreover, the linear regressions of the number of organisms in a population (Y) over time (X) were proposed. In Discussions and Conclusions, the validity of this proposal is analyzed as well as its importance in t he teaching - learning process