Download Natural Selection Webquest

Name: ________________________________________________
Natural Selection Webquest
Period: ______
Name_________________________
Site A: Have some fun and play “Darwin’s Evolution Game” @
http://science.discovery.com/interactives/literacy/darwin/darwin.html. Answer the questions as you
are able to. Be sure you are answering the entire question!!!!
1. What does “survival of the fittest” mean?
2. How would you describe your starting environment? What kinds of landforms are
present? What kind of vegetation is there? Anything else that is noteworthy?
3. Draw your 3 starting variants of your species and describe why you chose the ones that
you did in the table below. What advantages did you think they might have over some
of the other options?
Trial #1
Picture of variant
1.
Reason for choice
2.
3.
How long did your species survive? _________
4. Repeat the above until you make it to 1,000,000 years!! Use a blank sheet of paper to
make the table to show your variants and label them “Trial #2”, “Trial #3” and so on.
5. Once your species has succeeded, take the quiz on the site and write in the letter to the
correct responses below:
1. ____
8. ____
2. ____
9. ____
3. ____
10. ____
4. ____
11. What was the name of the guy
5. ____
pictured on the right page?
6. ____
7. ____
_______________________
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Name: ________________________________________________
Period: ______
Site 2: http://www.biology-online.org/2/11_natural_selection.htm
3. Which part of the finch has changed over time?
4. For each of these diagrams, write what type of food the beak shape is best suited for.
a. ______________
b. ____________ c. _____________ d. ________________
Site 3: http://www.experiment-resources.com/darwins-finches.html
Read the first two sections "Darwin's Finches" and "The Galapagos Islands"
5. Did Darwin first believe that each finch he found was a different species? Was he
right or wrong?
6. How did organisms arrive at the Galapagos Islands?
Site 4: http://www.biology-online.org/2/12_selective_breeding.htm
7. Why is selective breeding useful to farmers?
8. What does it mean to selectively breed an organism?
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Name: ________________________________________________
Period: ______
Site 5 http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_insects/Mimicry.htm
9. What is mimicry? How might an organism benefit from using mimicry?
Site 6: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/08/mimicry/mimicry-interactive
Look at the images in the slideshow. Click on the organisms that are hiding in plain sight.
10. Give three examples of mimicry.
Site 7:
http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/selection/selection.ht
ml
11. Does natural selection act on individuals or does it act on something else? Explain
this.
12. What are the 4 components of natural selection?
1. __________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________
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