Download Evolution Guide

Evolution
Teacher’s Guide
Middle School
Editors:
Brian A. Jerome, Ph.D.
Stephanie Zak Jerome
Assistant Editors:
Louise Marrier
Hannah Fjeld
Graphics:
Dean Ladago
Fred Thodal
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Evolution
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Evolution. The right is restricted only for use with this video program. Any
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Copyright © 2006
ISBN 1-59234-121-7
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Evolution
Table of Contents
Page
A Message From Our Company
5
National Standards Correlations
6
Student Learning Objectives
7
Assessment
8
Introducing the Video
9
Video Viewing Suggestions
9
Video Script
10
Student Assessments and Activities
16
Answers to Student Assessments
17
Answers to Student Activities
18
Assessment and Student Activity Masters
19
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Viewing
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Evolution
A Message from
our Company. . .
Dear Educator:
Thank you for your interest in the educational videos produced by the Visual
Learning Company. We are a Vermont-based, family owned and operated business
specializing in the production of quality educational science videos and materials.
We have a long family tradition of education. Our grandmothers graduated from
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teacher and guidance counselor, and his father was a high school teacher and
superintendent. This family tradition inspired Brian to become a science teacher,
and to earn a Ph.D. in education, and led Stephanie to work on science educational
programs at NASA.
In developing this video, accompanying teacher’s guide, and student activities,
our goal is to provide educators with the highest quality materials, thus enabling
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Evolution
National Standards Correlations
National Science Education Standards
(Content Standards: 5-8, National Academy of Sciences, c. 1996)
Life Science - Content Standard C
Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms
As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop an
understanding that:
• Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through
gradual processes over many generations. Species acquire many of their
unique characteristics through biological adaptation, which involves the
selection of naturally occurring variations in populations. Biological adaptation
includes changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that enhance survival
and reproductive success in a particular environment.
• Millions of species of animals, plants, and microorganisms are alive today.
Although different species might look dissimilar, the unity among organisms
becomes apparent from an analysis of internal structures, the similarity of their
chemical processes, and the evidence of common ancestry.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy
(Project 2061 – AAAS, c. 1993)
The Living Environment - Evolution of Life
By the end of 8th grade, students should know that:
• Small differences between parents and offspring can accumulate (through
selective breeding) in successive generations so that descendants are very
different from their ancestors.
• Individual organisms with certain traits are more likely than others to survive
and have offspring. Changes in environmental conditions can affect the
survival of individual organisms and entire species.
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Evolution
Student Learning Objectives
Upon viewing the video and completing the enclosed student activities, students will
be able to do the following:
•
Understand that prior to Darwin scientists did not have a well developed explanation
of how living things changed over time
•
Define evolution as the change of a species over time
•
Explain that both Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace should be credited with the
theory of natural selection.
•
Compare the process of artificial selection to the process of natural selection.
•
Briefly describe why Darwin’s book, The Origin of Species By Means of Natural
Selection, had such a profound impact on the field of biology.
•
Briefly describe the following components as they relate to the process of natural
selection:
Overproduction
Competition
Variation
Adaptation
•
Explain what is meant by the phrase “survival of the fittest.”
•
Define speciation as the evolution of one or more new species from a singe existing
species.
•
Using an example, explain how speciation might occur.
•
Explain how the Galapagos finches are an excellent example of adaptive radiation.
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Evolution
Assessment
Preliminary Assessment:
The Preliminary Assessment, provided in the Student Masters section, is an
assessment tool designed to gain an understanding of students’ pre-existing
knowledge. It can also be used as a benchmark upon which to assess
student progress based on the objectives stated on the previous pages.
Video Review:
The Video Review, provided in the Student Masters section, can be used as
an assessment tool or as a student activity. There are two main parts. The
first part contains questions that can be answered during the video. The
second series of ten questions consists of a video quiz to be answered at the
conclusion of the video.
Post Assessment:
The Post Assessment, provided in the Student Masters section, can be utilized
as an assessment tool following completion of the video and student activities.
The results of the Post Assessment can be compared against the results of the
Preliminary Assessment to evaluate student progress.
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Evolution
Introducing the Video
Begin by asking students if they know how there came to be so many different breeds of
dogs. Explain how new breeds are created by people who choose characteristics that
they want in their pet, such as size, color, and type of fur. Ask students to think of any
other kind of animals in which humans select traits. Write the term artificial selection on
the board, and explain that it is the term used to describe this process.
Now write the term natural selection on the board, and ask students if they can guess
what it means. Explain that in the process of natural selection, nature selects the traits
best suited for a species to survive. Tell students to pay close attention during the
program to learn how natural selection occurs. After showing the video, discuss the
components of the theory of natural selection. Write the components on the board and
review each one.
Video Viewing Suggestions
The student Master “Video Review” is provided for distribution to students. You may
choose to have your students complete this Master while viewing the program or to
do so upon its conclusion.
The program is approximately twenty minutes in length and includes a ten question
video quiz. Answers are not provided to the Video Quiz on the video, but are included
in this teacher’s guide. You may choose to grade student quizzes as an assessment
tool or to review the answers in class.
The video is content-rich with numerous vocabulary words. For this reason you
may want to periodically stop the video to review and discuss new terminology and
concepts.
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Evolution
Video Script: Evolution
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Can you imagine going on a trip for 5 years...
...to far away places with no telephone communication to your family and friends?
This is similar to what a scientist by the name of Charles Darwin did in 1831.
He, and a crew of 73 men, set sail from England with the goal of exploring the world.
What unusual things did Darwin see?
What did Darwin witness that made him think differently about how plants and animals
change over time.
How did he develop his extremely important theory of natural selection.
During the next few minutes we are going to explore these questions and others.
But first, let’s begin by studying some of the ways people thought about the history of
plants and animals before Darwin.
Graphic Transition- Early Ideas about Change
In the 17 and 18 hundreds scientists recognized that living things change over time.
This is broadly described as the process of evolution.
Most thought that traits developed or acquired by an organism during its lifetime are
passed on to its offspring.
Jean Larmarck was one of many scientists at that time who felt that living things
possessed an “internal drive” which created a desire to become better suited to their
environment.
For example, giraffes during their lifetime stretched their necks to reach leaves on
trees.
The giraffe’s neck would grow longer as it grew older.
The giraffe would then pass on the trait of a longer neck to its offspring.
These ideas did not withstand the test of time, and were modified by ideas brought to
light in the mid 1800’s.
Graphic Transition- Journey of the HMS Beagle
On December 27,1831 Charles Darwin joined an around-the-world expedition on a
sailing vessel called the HMS Beagle.
The ship was captained by Robert FitzRoy, and Darwin was his companion and
expedition naturalist.
This diagram illustrates the path of the HMS Beagle.
The ship set sail from England, with the purpose of charting the coastline of South
America, as well as some of the islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The trip, originally planned for two years, turned into a five year journey around the
world.
Darwin saw a wide variety of plants and animals and collected hundreds of specimens
to bring back to England.
On his journey, Darwin read The Principles of Geology by Charles Lyell.
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Evolution
Script (cont.)
27. Building upon the previous work by another scientist James Hutton, Lyell proposed
that Earth was very old, and had been slowly changing for millions of years.
28. Darwin began to think that perhaps living things also changed slowly over long periods
of time.
29. In South America, Darwin found several fossils.
30. The fossilized remains suggested that ancient animals might in some way be related
to present day living things.
31. Darwin also visited the Galapagos Islands, a group of islands 950 kilometers off the
coast of South America.
32. Here he observed a wide variety of plants and animals that were similar, albeit,
different, from organisms he observed on the South American continent.
33. Little did he realize at the time that his short visit to the Galapagos would lead to the
development of ideas that would revolutionize the field of biology.
34. Graphic Transition- Theory of Evolution
35. Upon Darwin’s return to England in 1836, he spent a great deal of time going over his
notes and collections that he obtained on his trip.
36. He also spoke with Charles Lyell, about the notion that geologic change is an
extremely slow process.
37. Darwin felt that such changes in Earth’s geology over long periods of time also
influenced animal and plant life.
38. John Gould, an ornithologist was also quite helpful.
39. Darwin asked Gould to help him identify some of the different bird specimens he
brought back from the Galapagos.
40. Of particular interest were many small birds, which Gould identified as 13 separate
species.
41. Gould pointed out that the birds bore an amazing resemblance to birds found on the
South American continent some 950 kilometers across the ocean.
42. You Decide!
What did this information suggest?
43. This information suggested that the 13 different types of finches on the Galapagos
islands descended from a single species of finch which originated in South America.
44. Other evidence concerning plant life on the islands led Darwin to believe that
Galapagos plants also descended from South American plants.
45. Over the next 20 years Darwin fleshed out what he called the theory of natural
selection.
46. The theory of natural selection has many components which we’ll discuss in a
couple of minutes.
47. From 1836 to 1858 Darwin thought a great deal about his journey. He published
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Script (cont.)
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several papers and books, and conducted many experiments while working on his
monumental book which would forever change the field of biology.
In 1858, Darwin received a letter from Alfred Wallace, a young British naturalist,
explaining his ideas of evolution. These were the same ideas that Darwin had
developed.
In a rare example of scholarly cooperation, the two men agreed to present their ideas
together in 1858.
A year later, in 1859, Darwin published the book that changed the field of biology- The
Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
All copies of the book sold out in a single day.
Darwin’s work laid the foundation for our modern scientific understanding of evolution.
What is evolution?
Evolution is a change in a species over time. Let’s take a closer look at Darwin’s ideas.
Graphic Transition-Theory of Natural Selection
Darwin proposed that evolution occurs by a process called natural selection.
Natural selection occurs when individuals within a species survive because they are
best-adapted to their environment, and pass these favorable traits onto their offspring.
Another way of putting this is that a living thing that has inherited the best tools
to survive in their environment, whether it be strength, speed, coloring, or any other
characteristic, will be able to live and pass on these traits to its offspring.
And, it is the environment or “nature” which is the driving force influencing the selection
of those surviving individuals.
A different process called artificial selection has been practiced by humans for
centuries with various types of plants and animals.
In the process of artificial selection, certain desired traits in living things such as milk
production in cows,
...or strength in horses have been intentionally selected and bred.
But in natural selection it is nature which determines the traits which are best suited for
survival in a given organism.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the components of the theory of natural selection.
Graphic Transition-Overproduction and Natural Selection
Most species produce many more offspring than can survive in nature. This is known
as overproduction.
Through the process of overproduction, at least some individuals will survive into
adulthood.
Ducks, for example, may lay 8 to 12 eggs, of which most will hatch into ducklings.
But predators, competition, sickness, and other factors may cause the death of many
before they reach adulthood.
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Evolution
Script (cont.)
69. Dandelions are a common plant which may grow near your home.
70. You Predict!
How many seeds do you think this dandelion has produced?
71. It has produced 311 seeds, of which only a few may germinate and grow to an adult.
72. This too is an example of overproduction.
73. Graphic Transition-Competition and Natural Selection
74. Overproduction of offspring often results in competition.
75. Competition between members of the same species can become especially intense
when resources become scarce.
76. If food is scarce individuals are forced to compete for food.
77. The trout in this pond compete for a limited amount of food.
78. Organisms, such as plants, may also compete for living space.
79. And some living things compete for breeding partners.
80. These male frigate birds are competing for a mate which they are attempting to
attract with their colorful displays.
81. Individuals that are successful competitors are more likely to survive and reproduce,
passing on the traits that made them successful.
82. Graphic Transition – Variation and Natural Selection
83. You Compare!
Are all these iguanas identical?
84. While these iguanas may look exactly the same, they do vary slightly from one to the next.
85. Some may have large claws, . .
86. Others may be better swimmers.
87. And others may have stronger jaws.
88. Variation is the term used to describe differences in traits or characteristics within a
population.
89. People also possess variations.
90. Let’s see why variations are important in the process of natural selection.
91. Graphic Transition – Adaptations and Natural Selection
92. Some variations may be more helpful to an organism than others.
93. For example, some bison may possess the variation of thicker fur.
94. This variation is an adaptation if it helps the bison survive an especially cold winter.
95. An adaptation is a variation that makes an organism better suited to its environment.
96. In a famous study conducted by Rosemary and Peter Grant on this small island in
the Galapagos,
97. . . . they observed variation in beaks within the same species of finch.
98. Finches with a slightly larger bill were able to forage for seeds better when food
became scarce during a drought.
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Script (cont.)
99. This adaptation enabled them to out-compete other finches, and survive the drought.
This adaptation was passed on from parent to offspring because it was encoded in
the bird’s genetic material.
100. Those finches which didn’t have this adaptation perished.
101. The key to Darwin’s theory of evolution is the principle of selection, or as Darwin
calls it- natural selection.
102. Darwin proposed that individual organisms with an adaptation which gives them an
advantage are more likely to survive and reproduce. This adaptation is then passed
on to the next generation.
103. As this process is repeated from generation to generation, the adaptation becomes
more common throughout the population.
104. Perhaps you have heard the phrase - “survival of the fittest”. This phrase sums up
the ideas that those individuals with helpful adaptations will survive and reproduce.
105. Graphic Transition – Speciation
106. The factors of overproduction, competition, and adaptation are the components
for natural selection to occur, and over time can result in the formation of an entirely
new species.
107. Speciation is the evolution of one or more new species from a single existing
species.
108. One of the most important factors promoting speciation is isolation.
109. Isolation is anything which prevents groups within a species from breeding.
110. Geographic isolation occurs when a population is divided by a natural barrier such
as an ocean.
111. The Galapagos Islands are geographically isolated from the mainland of South
America – separated by nearly 950 kilometers of ocean.
112. This makes the Galapagos an incredible place for the process of speciation.
113. There are over 300 endemic species of plants and animals in the Galapagos. This
means that this is the only place in the world where they are found.
114. The flightless cormorant, endemic to the Galapagos, most likely evolved from a
cormorant which flew from South America.
115. Over time, these birds lost their ability to fly because flight was not necessary, they
could catch fish underwater by swimming after them.
116. As we already mentioned, there are 13 different species of finches found on the
various islands in the Galapagos.
117. Scientists believe that the finches speciated or evolved from a single species of finch.
118. This diagram illustrates the way some scientists believe that happened.
119. These finches provide us with an excellent example of the process of something
called adaptive radiation.
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Evolution
Script (cont.)
120.
Adaptive radiation is the process by which a species evolves into a number of
different species, with each occupying a new environment or niche.
121. Graphic Transition- Summing Up
122. During the past few minutes we have explored some of the fascinating highlights
of the theory of natural selection.
123. We discussed some of the things Charles Darwin discovered and learned that
led him to that theory.
124. We delved into the specific components of natural selection...
125. ...discussing the concepts of overproduction,...
126. ...competition between organisms,...
127. ...variation among living things of the same species,...
128. ...adaptation which makes living things better suited to their environment,...
129. ...and the selection of the fittest organism by nature.
130. We also briefly discussed the process of speciation in which one species gives
rise to two or more species.
131. So the next time you see an unusual plant or animal,...
132. ...study a fossil,...
133. ...or wonder why there are so many different kinds of living things on Earth, think
about some of the things we discussed during the past few minutes. You just
might think about natural selection and evolution a little differently.
134. Graphic Transition- Video Quiz
135. Fill in the correct word to complete the sentence. Good luck and let’s get started.
1. Certain fossils suggest common ______ among animals.
2. Charles Lyell proposed that earth is very _____.
3. Charles ______ wrote The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
4. Darwin and Wallace developed the theory of ________ by natural selection at the
same time.
5. __________ describes the process of producing more offspring than will survive.
6. Organisms often _______ for food, mates, and living space.
7. ________ describes differences in traits within a population.
8. An _________ is a variation that helps an organism survive.
9. In the process of natural selection, _________ determines which organisms
survive and reproduce.
10. ________ is the evolution of one or more species from a single species.
Answers can be found on page 17.
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Evolution
Student Assessments
and Activities
Assessment Masters:
• Preliminary Assessment
• Video Review
• Post Assessment
Student Activity Masters:
• Theory of Natural Selection
• Natural Selection in Action: Peppered Moths
• Speciation
• Vocabulary of Evolution
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Evolution
Answers to Student Assessments
Preliminary Assessment (pgs. 20-21)
1. Lyell
2. changes
3. natural
4. artificial
5. Overproduction
6. variations
7. Isolation
8. compete
9. adapted
10. acquired
11. T
12. T
13. T
14. F
15. F
16. T
17. T
18. F
19. F
20. T
Video Review (pg. 22)
1. This information suggests that the 13
different types of finches on the
Galapagos Islands descended from a
single species of finch that originated
from South America.
2. The dandelion produced 311 seeds,
very few of which will become
new plants. This is an example of
overproduction.
3. No. Even though they look alike, there
are small differences between each
animal, such as coloring, strength, or
length of claws.
Video Quiz (p. 22)
1. ancestry
2. old
3. Darwin
4. evolution
5. Overproduction
6. compete
7. Variation
8. adaptation
9. nature
10. Speciation
Post Assessment (pgs. 23-24)
1. artificial
2. Isolation
3. Overproduction
4. compete
5. changes
6. adapted
7. Lyell
8. acquired
9. natural
10. variations
11. T
12. F
13. F
14. T
15. T
16. F
17. F
18. T
19. T
20. T
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Answers to Student Activities
Theory of Natural Selection
(p. 25)
competition - Each of the
male frigate birds displays
their breeding plumage in
an effort to win the mate
and reproduce.
overproduction - The
spotted salamander lays
hundreds of eggs.
variation - The differences
in height and weight among
the white-tailed deer shows
that characteristics among
members of a population
vary.
adaptation - The angelfish
with the coloring that
hides them from predators
have a useful adaptation
that allows them to
survive. They will pass
the adaptation on to their
young.
Speciation (p. 27 - 29)
a.) 950 kilometers
b.) The Pacific Ocean acts as a huge geographic barrier.
c.) Birds could possibly fly. Other animals and plants
could float on a land raft or logs, or swim.
d.) The original ancestor of the finches was a South
American finch that arrived at the Galapagos Islands from
the mainland.
e.) There are 13 different species of finches.
f.) The interacting components of variation, competition,
and adaptation promote adaptive radiation. When niches
in an environment are free, new species exploit the
niches.
g.) The Large Ground Finch has a big blunt beak that
is rather short. The Warbler Finch has a small pointed
beak. The Woodpecker Finch has a larger, sharp beak.
h.) The Large Ground Finch eats seeds, and spends its
time on the ground. The Warbler Finch eats insects in
trees. The Woodpecker Finch uses sharp sticks as tools
to dig into tree branches and eats bug larva it finds inside.
i.) The 13 species of Galapagos finches are a good
example of adaptive radiation because each of the 13
distinct species evolved from the same ancestor, and now
occupy different niches.
Natural Selection in Action (p. 26)
Vocabulary of Evolution (p. 30)
1. The darker coloring was the adaptation that
helped the peppered moths survive better when
the trees became darker.
2. There are more light moths than dark moths
today because England passed the Clean Air Act,
and the trees are no longer colored darkly from
pollution.
3. The phrase “survival of the fittest” implies that
organisms that are best suited to their environment
(have the most favorable adaptations) are more
likely to survive and reproduce.
1. g - competition
2. j - speciation
3. a - Charles Darwin
4. f - overproduction
5. b - The Origin of Species by Means
of Natural Selection
6. h - variation
7. d - natural selection
8. e - artificial selection
9. c - evolution
10. i - adaptation
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Assessment
and Student
Activity
Masters
Name
Evolution
Preliminary Assessment
Directions: Fill in the blank with the correct word. A list of possible answers is provided
at the bottom of the page.
1. Darwin’s ideas were influenced by the book, The Principles of Geology, by Charles
________ .
2. Charles Darwin thought and wrote about how life _________ over time.
3. Nature is the major force that drives _________ selection.
4. When people choose which characteristics they desire in a living thing, and breed the
organisms to produce those traits, it is called ____________ selection.
5. ________________ is the process of producing more offspring than can survive.
6. Slight differences between members of a species are called ____________ .
7. _____________ prevents groups within a species from breeding.
8. When an environment doesn’t provide enough food, living space, or breeding partners
for all the members of a population, the members are often forced to _____________ .
9. Only organisms best _________ to their environment will survive.
10. Characteristics __________ during an organism’s lifetime are generally not passed on
to the next generation.
natural
Isolation
adapted
Lyell
variations
acquired
artificial
changes
Overproduction
compete
©2006
20
Evolution
Name
Preliminary Assessment
Directions: Decide whether the statement is true (T) or false (F).
11. As early as the 1700s scientists recognized that living things change
over time.
T
F
12. Charles Darwin was a naturalist on an expedition which traveled the
world on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s.
T
F
13. Darwin was influenced by Lyell’s book, The Principles of Geology.
T
F
14. Darwin later found out that the 13 species of finches he observed on
the Galapagos were unrelated.
T
F
15. The Theory of Natural Selection is unrelated to the process of
evolution.
T
F
16. People can control the process of selection, when they choose to
breed horses or dogs with certain desirable traits.
T
F
17. The organisms that are best adapted to their environment will have a
better chance of surviving and reproducing.
T
F
18. Birds such as penguins don’t fly because they decided they didn’t
want to anymore.
T
F
19. Evolution and natural selection stop if groups of a species are
isolated from one another.
T
F
20. Speciation occurs when one species evolves into one or more
different species.
T
F
©2006
21
Evolution
Name
Video Review
Directions: During the course of the program, answer the questions as they are
presented in the video. At the end of the video, answer the Video Quiz questions.
You Decide!
1. What did this information suggest?
You Predict!
2. How many seeds do you think this dandelion has produced?
You Compare!
3. Are all these iguanas identical?
Video Quiz:
1. Certain fossils suggest common __________ among animals.
2. Charles Lyell proposed that Earth is very _____.
3. Charles ________ wrote The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
4. Darwin and Wallace developed the theory of ________ by natural selection at the
same time.
5. ______________ describes the process of producing more offspring than will survive.
6. Organisms often _________ for food, mates, and living space.
7. ____________ describes differences in traits within a population.
8. An ____________ is a variation that helps an organism survive.
9. In the process of natural selection, _________ determines which organisms survive
and reproduce.
10. ___________ is the evolution of one or more species from a single species.
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Name
Evolution
Post Assessment
Directions: Fill in the blank with the correct word. A list of possible answers is provided
at the bottom of the page.
1. When people choose which characteristics they desire in a living thing, and breed the
organisms to produce those traits, it is called ____________ selection.
2. _____________ prevents groups within a species from breeding.
3. ________________ is the process of producing more offspring than can survive.
4. When an environment doesn’t provide enough food, living space, or breeding partners
for all the members of a population, the members are often forced to _____________ .
5. Charles Darwin thought and wrote about how life _________ over time.
6. Only organisms best _________ to their environment will survive.
7. Darwin’s ideas were influenced by the book, The Principles of Geology, by Charles
________ .
8. Characteristics __________ during an organism’s lifetime are generally not passed on
to the next generation.
9. Nature is the major force that drives _________ selection.
10. Slight differences between members of a species are called ____________ .
Lyell
changes
natural
artificial
Overproduction
variations
Isolation
compete
adapted
acquired
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Evolution
Name
Post Assessment
Directions: Decide whether the statement is true (T) or false (F).
11. Darwin was influenced by Lyell’s book, The Principles of Geology.
T
F
12. The Theory of Natural Selection is unrelated to the process of
evolution.
T
F
13. Birds such as penguins don’t fly because they decided they didn’t
want to anymore.
T
F
14. The organisms that are best adapted to their environment will have a
better chance of surviving and reproducing.
T
F
15. As early as the 1700s scientists recognized that living things change
over time.
T
F
16. Evolution and natural selection stop if groups of a species are
isolated from one another.
T
F
17. Darwin later found out that the 13 species of finches he observed on
the Galapagos were unrelated.
T
F
18. Speciation occurs when one species evolves into one or more
different species.
T
F
19. People can control the process of selection, when they choose to
breed horses or dogs with certain desirable traits.
T
F
20. Charles Darwin was a naturalist on an expedition which traveled the
world on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s.
T
F
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Evolution
Name
Theory of Natural Selection
Background:
Charles Darwin is considered the father of the theory of natural selection. This
theory provides an explanation for the process of evolutionary change of living things,
and serves as the foundation for our modern-day understanding of this process. Natural
selection occurs when individuals within a species survive because they are best
adapted to their environment, and pass these favorable traits on to their offspring. In
natural selection it is nature that determines the traits that are best suited for survival in
a given organism. There are several different components in the theory of natural
selection. Below is a brief list of the various components:
Adaptation
Competition
Overproduction
Variation
Directions:
Below are some scenarios of living things in their environment. Read each scenario.
Choose which component of the theory of natural selection it most closely describes,
and explain how the scenario illustrates that component.
Five male frigate birds are showing their
colorful displays, trying to attract a mate as
she flies overhead.
__________________________
A spotted salamander lays several hundred
eggs in a forested pool.
__________________________
A close look at the sizes of some male whitetailed deer shows a wide range of weights
and heights.
__________________________
A change in environmental conditions has
enabled only angelfish with a certain color
pattern to elude predators.
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
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Evolution
Name
Natural Selection in Action: Peppered Moths
Directions: Read the information below and then
answer the questions.
How do scientists know that natural selection actually
happens? Has anyone ever really seen a species change?
Believe it or not, scientists have actually recorded a major
change in a species: the peppered moth. Originally, the
moths were light in color, with dark flecks over their wings.
This coloring helped them blend in with birch trees common
in their habitat in southern England. However, the color at
times did naturally vary; a tiny part of the population was
dark in color. This group stayed small because predators
could spot a dark moth much more easily than a betteradapted light moth.
In the 19th century, England experienced a huge environmental change. The
Industrial Revolution brought machines and industry to the countryside. The land
became polluted with soot, which blackened everything- particularly the formerly white
birch trees. People noticed a change in the moth population. There were more and
more moths that were dark in color, particularly around urban areas with a lot of industry.
By the year 1900, dark-colored moths made up 98% of the population near Manchester,
England. In this example, the dark colored moths were best adapted to the environment,
and nature “selected” these moths to survive.
In 1956, England passed the Clean Air Act. This legislation eliminated a lot of
the pollution in the country, and cleaned up the environment. And, as the countryside
became cleaner, the moth population changed. The lighter colored moths began to
increase in number. Today, light moths make up the majority of the population. Scientists
consider the story of the peppered moths as very convincing evidence of the process of
natural selection.
Questions:
1. What adaptation helped the peppered moths to better survive when environmental
conditions changed?
2.
Why are there more light moths than dark moths today?
3.
Explain what is meant by the phrase “survival of the fittest.”
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Evolution
Name
Speciation
Background:
There are over 10 million species of living things on planet Earth. Remarkably, the
existing living species on Earth today represent a fraction of the number of species which
inhabited the planet at one time. Scientists estimate there are tens of millions of extinct
species that once thrived on Earth. How have so many different species of living things
evolved? There is not a single, simple answer to this question.
Darwin’s theory of natural selection serves as the foundational theory upon which
our modern understanding of how species change has been formulated. Overproduction,
competition, variation, and adaptation are the basic components of the theory of natural
selection. Over time, interacting factors can result in the formation of an entirely new
species.
Speciation is the evolution of one or more new species from a singe existing species.
One of the most important factors promoting speciation is isolation. Isolation is anything
which prevents groups within a species from breeding. Geographic isolation occurs when
a population is divided by a natural barrier such as an ocean, a mountain range, a desert,
or any other natural obstruction. The Galapagos Islands are an excellent example of an
area that is geographically isolated - separated by 950 kilometers of ocean from the South
American continent. In this activity you will explore one of the groups of animals in the
Galapagos as we take a look at one of the more well known examples of speciation.
Materials: world atlas, worksheet titled “Darwin’s Finches,” pencil
Directions:
1. Locate the Galapagos Islands using a world atlas.
2. Measure the distance of the Galapagos Islands to the mainland of South America.
Record your answer in the data sheet on line a.
3. Describe the type of geographic barrier that exists between the Galapagos Islands
and the continent of South America. Record your answer on line b.
4. Some of the older islands in the Galapagos are about 5 million years old; they
formed as a result of volcanic activity. Describe how animals and plants could
possibly have arrived at the newly formed islands over this time period. Record your
response on line c.
5. One of the organisms that is thought to have arrived is one or more finches from
South America. It is thought that the 13 different species of finches which exist in
the Galapagos speciated from a single type of finch that arrived from the continent.
Study the diagram illustrating what scientists believe is the evolutionary relationship
of the finches.
6. Answer the following questions on the next page.
d.) What is the original ancestor of the finches?
e.) How many species of finches are there?
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Name
Evolution
Speciation cont’d.
7.
8.
The finches in the Galapagos provide an excellent example of the process of
adaptive radiation. Adaptive radiation is the process by which a species evolves
into a number of different species, with each occupying a new environment or
niche.
f.) What do you think promotes adaptive radiation?
On the next page are 3 different diagrams illustrating the head and bill structures of
three different species of finches. Each different species is labeled.
g.) Describe how the beak structures of each bird differs.
h.) Describe the type of food each bird feeds on, and describe the type of
environment in which it spends most of its time.
i.) Explain why the Galapagos finches are a good example of adaptive radiation.
a.) ____________________________________________________________________
b.) ____________________________________________________________________
c.) ____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
d.) ____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
e.) ____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
f.) ____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
g.) ____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
h.) ____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
i.) ____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
©2006
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Evolution
Name
Speciation cont’d.
Large Ground Finch
Warbler Finch
Woodpecker Finch
©2006
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Evolution
Name
Vocabulary of Evolution
Directions: Unscramble the vocabulary words in the first column. Match the words to
the definitions in the second column.
____ 1. mticpiooetn
_____________
a. the scientist who wrote The Origin of
Species By Means of Natural Selection
____ 2. eaopiisctn
_____________
b. famous book published by Charles
Darwin in 1859
____ 3. aehlCrs rnaiDw
_________ _________
c. a change in a species over time
____ 4. eruiorocovpdtn
________________
____ 5. eTh inriOg fo eepiScs yb aMnes fo
taarNul ltnecoSei
____ _______ ___ ________ ___
______ ___ ________ __________
____ 6. rtnaaovii
___________
____ 7. auantrl eetoslcin
_________ ___________
____ 8. tiarfiaicl slcineeto
___________ ___________
____ 9. otnvuoeli
___________
____ 10. aaodtiaptn
____________
d. the survival and reproduction of
those organisms within a species that
are best adapted to their environment
e. intentionally selecting and breeding
certain desired traits in living things
f. the practice of producing many more
offspring than can survive in nature
g. the process of members of a species
competing for food, living space, or
breeding partners
h. differences in traits or characteristics
within a population
i. a variation that makes an organism
better suited to its environment
j. the evolution of one or more new
species from a single existing species
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