Adaptation Lab

Warm-up You’ve learned the four principles of natural selection. Define natural selection in one sentence without using the following words: variation, competition, overproduction, adaptation, evolve, and “Survival of the fittest” How do mutations relate to natural selection?

Warm-up B. Not all characteristics, which contribute to longer life, become more common in the population. Some characteristics contribute to a long life but not more offspring. For example, a female cat which is sterile and cannot have any offspring may live longer because she will not experience the stress of repeated pregnancies. Explain why a characteristic like this would not become more common as a result of evolution by natural selection. A.Explain what is happening in these figures. Describe how the population of mice is different in pictures 3 compared to 1. What caused this difference?

Click Darwin to watch 100 greatest discoveries: natural selection

Create this chart SpeciesAdaptationFood sourcerounds SpoonosaurspoonMacaroniR1/R2/R3/R4/ TweezosaurTweezers/ clamp MacaroniR1/R2/R3/R4/ SticksaurPopsicle sticks (2) MacaroniR1/R2/R3/R4/ ClipsaurBinder clipMacaroniR1/R2/R3/R4/ ForksaurforkMacaroniR1/R2/R3/R4/

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is based on the idea of natural selection. Natural selection is the process in which only the strongest organisms survive. These organisms adapt over long periods of time acquiring traits that make them bettered suited to survive and reproduce. Those organisms that do not adapt to changes in their environment cannot reproduce and become extinct. In this activity, you will model natural selection by competing for a limited food source in your environment.

1.Place students into small groups 2.Choose an adaptation tool 3.Complete round one and record results 4.After each round the person with the least amount of food dies. Everyone else will survive to the next round. 5.Repeat until one person survives

Prediction/hypothesis Which adaptation for eating will gather the most food in the end? Write a complete sentence explaining rationale

Several years later… The food source has CHANGED! I repeat the food source has CHANGED!!! Now with the new food source make a new prediction of which species will survive to the very end. Write in a complete sentence.

Create this chart SpeciesFood source rounds SpoonosaurCornR1/R2/R3/R4/R5/ TweezosaurCornR1/R2/R3/R4/R5/ SticksaurCornR1/R2/R3/R4/R5/ ClipsaurCornR1/R2/R3/R4/R5/ ForksaurCornR1/R2/R3/R4/R5/

The best of… Spoon 34 (Sara) Tweezer 46 Lynnea Fork 30 Emma M Binderclip 41 Connor Popsicle sticks 27 Jessie

Reflection Questions 1.Which type of bird was the 1 st to die? What adaptation? 2.Which survived all rounds? What adaptation? 3.Compare your results with your 1 st prediction. Do your results support prediction? Explain. 4.What problems or sources of error exist from this lab? (any possible things that could of altered results that you saw in lab) 5.How does this model Natural selection 6.What would happen if we introduce a predator? 7.What is a mutation and how would it affect the outcome? 8.Did a change in food source alter the winner of adaptation? explain 9.The Artic hare lives in snow covered mountains in Canada. The hare is hunted by foxes, wolves, and owls. Which trait is more likely to be inherited by new generations of hares: white fur or back fur?