Watch a water change
We can compare two identical meadows. What might happen when only one has less water?
A small meadow. A web of living things.
Every life is linked.
Can you keep a little grassland thriving? Build a habitat, test your ideas, and help a struggling meadow recover—one model step at a time.
About 10 minutes · No score, accounts, or real-world predictions
The meadow is a model, not a map of every real meadow.
APlants make the start
Grass and clover use light and water.
BFood connects neighbors
Energy moves from food to eater.
CSmall steps teach us
Look at what changed and why.
What will I do?
Choose which meadow groups are present, make a prediction before changing the weather, and help a new meadow recover. Use the step button to see one model step at a time. You can pause, reset, or try again whenever you like. Your progress stays in this tab and is cleared by refresh.
Producer: a plant that makes food using light. Consumer: a living thing that gets food by eating other living things. Herbivore: a plant-eating consumer. Predator: a consumer that may hunt other animals.
Field note 1 of 3 · Build habitat
Who belongs in this meadow?
Choose the meadow groups, then follow the food links. More plant patches can share grazing. More animals change the pressure on their food.
Choose the living groups
Healthy exampleMeadow roster
Use + / − to choose 0–3 patches or groups. Adding life to an empty slot means a person deliberately plants or reintroduces it.
Change the roster, step the model, and then explain an arrow.
Follow the food
Energy has a direction
Arrows point from something eaten to the eater. They show one simple food link.
- Grass → rabbit and voleBoth can graze on grass.
- Clover → rabbit and voleThe vole model leans more on clover.
- Rabbit and vole → foxOnly these prey are counted in this tiny model.
Real foxes eat many other foods too; this simple diagram leaves those out.
Step by step
What changed, and why?
The starting meadow has 5 support indicators. Values are illustrative model indices, not wildlife counts.
- Take one step to see how water, light, food and grazing affect each group.
Field note 2 of 3 · Predict & experiment
Change one condition. Watch the links.
Pick a starting meadow, change water or light, and choose a prediction before you step.
Healthy start
Morning meadow
Very littlePlenty
Deep shadeBright
Try one condition at a time. A prediction is a thought to test, not a grade.
Current model indicators
Living conditions
Each bar is a 0–100 model support index, not a real population count.
Choose a scenario, adjust water or light, make a prediction, then step.
Inspect the result
One model step at a time
The next step will show the reason for every species change.
- No steps have run yet.
Field note 3 of 3 · Restore balance
A new meadow needs a careful plan.
Can this unfamiliar meadow improve? Change the conditions or living groups, then inspect each step’s reasons.
Windy meadow edge
The starting values are model clues, not field measurements.
Try a repair
Conditions & habitat
Plants need both light and water. More plant patches can spread grazing. If a group reaches zero, it stays there until you deliberately plant or reintroduce it.
Make a change, take a step, and look for a cause—not a magic fix.
Evidence of recovery
Not checkedWhat has improved?
Take a step after changing a condition or group. The summary will compare this model with its starting point.
Starting average support—
Current average support—
“Recovery” here means every chosen group has at least 25 model points and the average improved after your action. It is a lesson checkpoint, not a promise about real nature.
Your field notes
What changed, and why?
Every step is deterministic: the same start and actions give the same result.
- Try a repair before the first model step.
Your field notes
What did the meadow teach you?
A model helps us test an idea. Real habitats have more species, changing weather, migrations and many other causes.