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. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. Moths

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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)

18. Who wants to live a million years?

19. 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.

20. 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)