Biology · Lesson Worlds
Ecosystems: interactive science lab
Nudge foxes or rabbits and prove that a food web moves as one piece.
Free · No account required · Runs in your browser
What will you learn?
More foxes, fewer rabbits, then plants recover. Fewer foxes, rabbits boom, plants fall. Change one life and the others answer.
How does the lab work?
Observe the simulation, make a prediction, change a variable, run the experiment, and explain the result. Finish with a challenge that tests your understanding.
You can change: Foxes, Rabbits. Compare what happens and connect the result to the scientific explanation.
Try a comparison in Ecosystems
Start with the lab’s initial settings. Choose one control below, predict the result, and change that control while keeping the others fixed. Record the setting and what you observe before making a second change.
- Foxes: the lab starts at 4; its available range is 0–12.
- Rabbits: the lab starts at 10; its available range is 2–20.
For a named starting condition, try Balance, Hunt, Boom. A preset can change several settings: check the controls before treating two presets as a one-variable comparison.
Questions to discuss during the activity
- Watch what happens. Plants feed rabbits. Rabbits feed foxes. The counts hold still enough to last. Watch a balanced meadow through a season.
- Name the cause. Add foxes and they eat more rabbits. Fewer rabbits eat fewer plants, so grass recovers. Remove foxes and rabbits boom until the plants are thin. One change walks the whole web. A web, not three separate piles.
- Change something. Add foxes and the rabbits should fall. Change the foxes, then run a season.
- Guess before you run. If we raise foxes to 10, the rabbits will… Guess what will happen, then run to check.
After your comparison, explain how the observations connect to this idea: More foxes, fewer rabbits, then plants recover. Fewer foxes, rabbits boom, plants fall. Change one life and the others answer. Name one condition you held fixed and one feature of the real world this model simplifies. A completed run is a starting point for discussion, rather than proof of mastery.
Who is it for?
Curious learners exploring biology. A parent or teacher can help younger learners read the instructions and discuss the results. Choose by topic and prior knowledge rather than a fixed grade level.
Is this lab free?
Yes. This interactive lab is free without signing in or a paid membership.
No app download is needed; interactive play requires JavaScript and a modern browser.
Use this activity with a learner
Families and educators · choose by prior knowledge
Learning goal: More foxes, fewer rabbits, then plants recover. Fewer foxes, rabbits boom, plants fall. Change one life and the others answer.
Before you begin: Read the controls for Foxes, Rabbits. Make one prediction before changing a setting.
Check understanding: Ask for one observation, the evidence that supports it, and a question to investigate next.
A simulation simplifies the real world. Explain which conditions stayed fixed; a successful run alone does not demonstrate mastery.
Share Ecosystems with your family or class. No account is needed to open the free resource.
Activity and guide by Lesson Worlds. About the platform.
Browse activity companions and lesson sequences