Red Knot Population Decline: Limiting Factors, Resources, and Food Webs
IB Assessment
Shared by Nimisha · Free to use as a template on AssessmentWiz.
Grasp
Goal: Research and explain why red knot populations are declining by connecting the decline to limiting factors, food web disruption, and human impact, and propose a science-based recommendation to a conservation organization
Role: Junior Wildlife Scientist at a coastal bird conservation organization, tasked with producing an accessible but scientifically accurate briefing report on the red knot crisis
Product: A structured Wildlife Science Briefing Report (2–3 pages or equivalent) that includes: a labeled food web diagram showing the red knot's ecological position, a written explanation of at least three limiting factors affecting the population, an analysis of how human activities have disrupted the food web, and one evidence-based conservation recommendation with a scientific justification
Audience: Members of the Delaware Bay Shorebird Conservation Council — a group of informed non-scientists (local government officials, fishing community representatives, and environmental educators) who need clear scientific explanations to make policy decisions
Situation: Red knot populations along the Atlantic Flyway have dropped by more than 75% since the 1980s. Scientists have identified a key disruption: overharvesting of horseshoe crabs has drastically reduced the availability of horseshoe crab eggs — the primary food source red knots depend on during their critical Delaware Bay stopover. Without enough food to fuel the final leg of their Arctic migration, birds arrive underweight and fail to breed successfully. Additional limiting factors — including habitat loss from coastal development and climate change shifting the timing of crab spawning — compound the crisis. Your organization needs a clear, science-based briefing document to present at an upcoming policy meeting.
Criteria
Name: Knowing and Understanding
Myp Year
Task Steps
Description
Command Terms
Subject Group
Teacher Notes
Atl Integration
Task Description
Learning Objectives
Submission Requirements
Preview shown. The full assessment (all questions, answer key, and teacher notes) loads with the page.