1. Natural Selection and Adaptations
What’s up with that bird?

2. Vocabulary
Adaptation
Natural Selection
Mutation

3. Scientists believe that the Earth and its inhabitants have changed
a great deal over time.
-They have observed species’
fossil records and have noticed
changes over time.
-Organisms tend to adapt or
change over time.

4. 2. Adaptation- a change in an organism that helps it live and
reproduce successfully in its
environment.
-these adaptations can be physical or behavioral
long neck or stripes
Reproduction, protection,
or finding food

5. 3. One scientist that observed these kinds of differences in plants
and animals of the same
species is Charles Darwin.
                                           

6. In 1831 Darwin sailed
on board the SS Beagle
from his home in
England to a small
island group off the
coast of Ecuador

7. 4. Darwin traveled to the Galapagos islands where he saw plants and
                                                                                                                                
4. Darwin traveled to the Galapagos
islands where he saw plants and
animals that differed from those on
other islands and the mainland.
                                           
Examples: tortoises
long neck versus short neck
Live in dry climates with cacti
Live in damp area with
abundant plant life

8. 5. Darwin also found different types of finches (birds). He noticed
different beak shapes and sizes from
one island to the next.
                           
Woodpecker finch
Vegetarian finch
Large ground finch
Cactus finch

9. There are at least 13 species of finches, each with a
different niche. All are said to have come from the
same ancestral species, which only got to the islands
about 2 million years ago. This is known as adaptive
radiation-where one species quickly changes or adapts
to fill in the “empty” ecospace.

10. 6. When most plants and animals reproduce, they usually produce more
offspring than can survive.
Example: salmon
-lay 1000’s of eggs, but not all will hatch. Of those that do
hatch, only a fraction will survive disease and avoid fish eating
predators.
Only a small % of these survivors will make
it to adulthood, with only a few being able to
reproduce successfully.

11. 7. From one generation to the next there are always variations.
These genetic
variations are
passed down.
-run now version
8. A change in genetic material is called
a mutation. Some mutations make the
individual better able to survive.

12. Camouflage an adaptation or a mutation?
-Moths will rest during the day
Time: late 18th/early 19th century
Place: Pre-industrial England
Subject: Biston betularia or the peppered moth
-Black moth coloration
considered a mutation
Before industry-trees had gray trunks-gray moths blended in better.
After industry developed-tree
trunks turned black due to the
pollution from factories-black
moth was then able to blend in
After many, many generations of
this, most moths were then black.
In this case coloration is
considered to be an adaptation.

13. Moths

14. Peppered Moth Simulation
Objectives: Describe the importance of coloration in avoiding predation Relate environmental change to changes in organisms (adaptation) Explain how natural selection causes populations to change
Materials:
Sheet of white paper Clock or Watch with Second Hand Newspaper newspaper circles (made with hole punch) Forceps white circles (made with hole punch) Colored Pencils
Purpose: In this lab, you will simulate how predators locate prey in different environments. You will analyze how color affects and organism's ability to survive in certain environments.

15. Peppered Moth Simulation
Copy this data table into your lab notebook
Peppered Moth Simulation
Starting Population
Number
Picked up
Trial
Back
ground
News
paper
White 1
white 30 2 3 4

16. Introduction: Industrial Melanism is a term used to describe the adaptation of a population in response to pollution. One example of rapid Industrial Melanism occurred in populations of peppered moths in the area of Manchester, England from 1845 to Before the industrial revolution, the trunks of the trees in the forest around Manchester were light grayish-green due to the presence of lichens. Most of the peppered moths in the area were light colored with dark spots. As the industrial revolution progressed, the tree trunks became covered with soot and turned dark. Over a period of 45 years, the dark variety of the peppered moth became more common.

17. Procedure:
Place a sheet of white paper on the table and
have one person spread 30 white circles and 30 newspaper circles over the surface while the other person (or “predator”) isn’t looking (eyes closed).
2. The "predator" will then use forceps/tweezers to pick up as many of the circles as he/she can in 30 seconds.
3. Without putting the circles back between trials, repeat with white circles on a newspaper background, newspaper circles on a white background, and newspaper circles on a newspaper background. Record your data in the chart.

18. Peppered Moth Simulation
Starting Population
Number
Picked up
Trial
Back
ground
News
paper
White 1
white 30 2 3 4

19. What did the experiment show about how prey are selected by predators?
Analysis
What did the experiment show about how prey are
selected by predators?
2. What moth coloration is the best adaptation for a dark
(newspaper) background? How do you know?
3. What would you expect the next generation of moths
to look like after trial 1? What about the next
generation after trial 3?
4. How does the simulation model natural selection? 
5. Imagine a second mutation (clear or colored circles)
caused a third population to arise, what affect do you
think it might have on the other two populations of
moths?

20. 5. Examine the table and construct a graph. Plot the years of
the study on the X-axis, and the number of moths captured on
the Y axis. You should have 2 lines on your graph - one for light
moths, and one for dark moths.
Year
# of Light Moths Captured
# of Dark Moths Captured 2
537
112 3
484
198 4
392
210 5
246
281 6
225
337 7
193
412 8
147
503 9 84
550 10 56
599
Use the ½ sheet of graph paper
3rd Period Only
6. Explain in your own words what the graph shows.
7. Describe a situation where this type of selection might occur.

21. 9. If this organism is able to survive
and reproduce, the mutation is passed
on to future generations.
This is called selective
breeding
Example: Terriers bred to show certain characteristics

22. 10. This idea led to the Darwin’s theory on Natural Selection.
11. Natural Selection: the process by
which organisms that are best suited
to their environment survive and
reproduce.
Example: small marine iguana on
an island with a thin layer of algal
growth
Voyage to the Galapagos video and questions (~60 minutes)

23. Who wants to live a million years?

24. Introduction. Scene - On a distant planet there exists 5 species of a creature called a Woolybooger. Each Woolybooger is similar except their mouth has variations. All woolyboogers eat beans. Some woolyboogers have a clothespin mouth (look at how to use the clothespin to pick up beans).
Some woolyboogers have a tweezer mouth (as demonstrated), some have a needle mouth (as demonstrated). One year a new species of woolybooger was discovered, this woolybooger was called the Spoon-Mouthed Woolybooger (as demonstrated).
Each of you will play the part of a woolybooger on this planet. The spoon-mouth wooly booger is rare, so only two of you will get to be this type of woolybooger.

25. Survival of the Woolybooger
Overview - Students will model natural selection by using various utensils to "capture food"
Materials:
3 bags of beans (northern or lima) tweezers
10 trays clothespins
10 plastic spoons rounded toothpicks

26. At this point, I will pass out the utensils and give each group a tray with beans. The entire group will share bean trays but each person should have their own utensil.
There is no "cheating", you must use your utensil in the way they are intended to be used (as I demonstrated).
We will do several rounds. Each trial will require your Woolybooger to gain at least 20 beans. If 20 beans are not acquired during the time period, your Woolybooger has died.
We will start with 1 minute.

27. Discussion Questions:
What happens to animals that cannot compete as well with
other animals in the wild?
2. Can you think of any real-life examples of the woolybooger, where one species has a definite advantage over another?
3. Sometimes animals that are introduced into an area that they never lived in before, out-compete and endanger resident
species, why do you think this happens?
4. If only one species is considered the "fittest", why do we still have so many variations among species. Why do some birds
have very long pointy beaks, while other birds have short flat beaks?
5. How do you think diseases can affect natural selection?

28. Darwin’s Finches Adaptation occurs in an ecosystem so that species can
better survive in their habitat. Sometimes these
adaptations cause competition between species
allowing one species to thrive while the other dies out.
A good example of this type of adaptation
occurs on the Galapagos Islands with the
finches that inhabit the area. Each species
of finch has a specific body weight, beak
shape and eating habits that allows them to
avoid competing for food with the other
finches.

29. Birds of a beak activity
In this activity you represent finches with four different beak types. You may only use your beak to gather food to put in your “stomach”.
First, we will try to determine what kind of food your
beak type would like best. You’ll try each of the
different food types one at a time and then record
the amounts in lab notebook data table.

30. Record the total number of each food item in your “stomach”
Table 1
Record the total number of each food item in
your “stomach”
Finch type
Number of finches
Popcorn
Marbles
Beans
Blocks
Paperclips
Toothpicks
Large Binder
Medium Binder
Small Binder
Spoon

31. 1. You will need to have an area that is approximately 2 feet
by 2 feet (one desk top).
2. Each person in the group will have a different type of
beak.
3. Scatter the contents of one cup of “food” into the marked
territory (this is your island).
4. When the teacher announces, you will have 2 minutes to
gather as much food as you can.
5.The food has to make it to and stay in your stomach in order
to count. Once in your stomach no one can take it from you.

32. Calories each food is worth: Marbles – 50 calories Beans - 20 calories
Second, a mixture of food will be placed on your table and you have to see how many of the different beaks survive. You do this by adding up the number of calories you get (use the chart below) and comparing that to the number of calories you need to live.
Calories each food is worth:
Marbles – 50 calories
Beans - 20 calories
Paper clips – 15 calories
Toothpicks – 10 calories
Blocks –30 calories
Popcorn - 10 calories
Calories each finch needs to live:
Large binder clip- 300 calories
Spoon- 250 calories
Medium binder clips- 150
Small binder clips- 100

33. Record the number of each food item you
Table 2
Record the number of each food item you
collect from the food mixture. At the end, calculate the caloric intake of each beak. Did your finch survive?
Finch type
Popcorn
Marbles
Beans
Blocks
Paperclips
Toothpicks
Calories
Did You Live?
Large Binder
Medium Binder
Small Binder
Spoon

34. Birds of a Beak Conclusion Questions
From situation 1, which beak was best adapted? Which was least adapted?
Which food item could be eliminated and not effect the population of finches?
From situation 2, if food was in low supply-which food item could your finch survive off of?

35. http://biologyinmotion.com/evol/index.html Evolution Lab
In this lab, you will use a computer simulation to track a population of organisms as they evolve. You will take data on the number and varieties of the organisms and graph them to show change over time and determine how two factors: MUTATION RATE and SELECTION STRENGTH affect how populations evolve.
Instructions
1. Go to and click on the link that says "evolution lab"
2. Read the introduction and the contents to learn about the imaginary creatures you will be studying and how to operate
the simulator. You may also want to look at the help link.
3. Open the simulator and practice using the controls before
you go on to the real simulation. Be sure to "reset" the
simulator when you're finished practicing.

36. Fill out the data table and create a graph for simulation B.
Simulation A - The purpose of this simulation is to determine how the mutation rate affects the evolution of your population. You will need to run 4 trials with varying settings for mutation rate.
Fill out the Data Table and create a graph using the graphing program at . You will have 4 lines on your graph. The X-axis will be cycles, and the Y will be mean phenotype.
Simulation B - The purpose of this simulation is to determine how selection strength affects the evolution of your population. Run three trials with the selection strength at 0, and three trials with the selection strength at varying ranges. (See data table)
Fill out the data table and create a graph for simulation B.
Graphing Program located at:
Blank Data Tables (doc)
     

37. Describe how the simulation models natural selection (and evolution).
Analysis
Answer the following questions on a separate page, title this page "Evolution Simulation" and make sure your name is on it. You can even type it in Word if you like.
Describe how the simulation models natural selection (and evolution).
2. Explain HOW the mutation rate affects the evolution of your populations. --> Explain WHY the mutation rate affects the evolution of your populations.
3. Explain HOW altering the selection rate affects the evolution of your populations. (You may want to include an explanation of what "selection strength" means.) --> Explain WHY altering the selection rate affects the evolution of your populations.
At the end of this web activity, you will have turned in the following documents:
Data tables
2 Graphs
Analysis Questions
Credits: Special thanks to Leif Saul, author of Biology in Motion and the creator of the Evolution Lab.