Download Natural Selection Videos - Extra Credit

Natural Selection Videos - Extra Credit
Due 10/14/14
30 points extra credit onto a daily grade
Watch the following videos and answer the following questions. (the QuickTime videos will be
found under resources at the following site…Internet Explorer is suggested for these videos)
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.div.lp_evoworks/
Humming Bird Species
1.
What is the relationship between the length of the hummingbirds' beaks and the
flowers from which they feed?
2.
If the size and shape of the flowers available to a group of hummingbirds were to
change dramatically over a short period of time, would individual hummingbirds have
the ability to change the size and shape of their beaks to adapt?
3.
Although individual members of a species may look very much alike, there is often a
great deal of variation among them. What role might this variation play in natural
selection and evolution?
Evolution of Camouflage
1.
What is the praying mantis's strategy for self-defense?
2.
The mantis is nearly invisible sitting on a leaf in the forest, but when the scientist places
the insect on his blue shirt, it becomes very obvious. What does this suggest about how
well this species of mantis would survive in a different environment -- a desert or a
short-grass prairie, for example?
3.
Would an individual mantis be able to transform its appearance if it were placed in
another type of environment? Why or why not?
4.
If the forest were to dry out and turn to grassland, or if this species of mantis began to
expand its range to an area with fewer trees, what might happen to the species over
time?
Floral Arrangements
1.
Some plant species rely on the wind for pollination. What other pollination strategies do
plants use?
2.
Insects are often critical to a plant species' survival. What reward do plants usually offer
in return for the insects' services?
3.
The orchid in the video promises a different kind of payoff. What is that false promise?
Tale of the Peacock
1.
From the research discussed in the video, what appears to be the most important factor
in a male peacock's ability to attract mates and successfully reproduce?
2.
What happened when the scientists altered the peacocks' tails by cutting them short?
3.
Aside from providing the egg, what role do peahens play in the reproductive success or
failure of a would-be mate?
4.
How might this trait have begun, and how might it have evolved over millions of years?
Follow-Up Questions:
1.
What would likely result from a sudden, dramatic change in any organisms
environment?
2.
How might the outcome of a more gradual change -- one that takes place over
thousands or millions of years -- differ from the outcome of a sudden change?