Download The Great Bean Hunt

The Great Bean Hunt Lab Activity
The Great Bean Hunt
Within every ecosystem there is a variety of species, both predator and
prey. This lab will explore how the forces of natural selection operate
to favor species with certain physical traits while limiting the success
of others. In this experiment four different prey species (pinto beans,
white beans, kidney beans, black beans) will be the prey.
Kidney beans
Black beans
White beans
Pinto beans
The Great Bean Hunt
Three different predators (students armed with either a spoon, fork,
knife) will be allowed to hunt for whichever beans they can find.
The Great Bean Hunt
This is a combined lab activity between each biology class where at the
end of each class period, the surviving prey and predators will be
allowed to “reproduce”. As the forces of natural selection act,
students will observe how each prey and predator species is affected
by their inherited traits. Students will also observe how the
environment affects each of the predators and prey.
Foraging
Each predator will be allowed to hunt for ~5 minutes. Each student will
be given either a spoon, fork, or knife.
Foraging
During the hunting period students will try and scoop 2000 various
beans onto their utensil and the place them into a cup.
Foraging
The cup must be kept upright at all times as the beans are scooped and
placed into the cup. The following actions are not allowed during this
lab and will cause your grade to be lowered if caught: (1) Flipping the
prey into the cups. (2) Shoveling the prey into cups. (3) Using your
hands to pick up the prey. (4) Spilling the cups of others.
Why? What’s the point?
Natural selection should act
on the prey and start to
eliminate those who are
not adapted to the front
lawn…survival of the fittest!
Natural selection should act
on the predators and start
to eliminate those who are
not adapted to the front
lawn…survival of the fittest!
Problem Question
Circle one of the problem questions below and write your
hypothesis. Remember to write your hypothesis as a “if…then”
statement.
1) Which prey species do you predict will be best colored to its
environment? Why?
2) Which prey species do you think will be most poorly colored to its
environment? Why?
3) Which predator species do you predict will be best shaped to its
environment? Why?
4) Which predator species do you predict will be most poorly shaped
to its environment? Why?