Transcript evolution presentation - PRIMARY SCIENCE WORKSHOPS

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Y6 EVOLUTION AND
INHERITANCE
LESSON 5:
Adaptation
through variation
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TODAY YOU WILL LEARN
• How the features of animals and plants have
adapted to their environments over millions of
years by the process of Natural Selection
• What Variation is and why it is so important
to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
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Remember this?
And this?
DARWIN’S FINCHES:
DIFFERENT BEAKS FOR
DIFFERENT JOBS!
SO WE KNOW THAT
ANIMALS CHANGE, BUT
WHY AND HOW DOES
THIS HAPPEN OVER
MILLIONS OF YEARS?
Discuss the answer
with your partner
THE ANSWER IS ..
• That tiny changes happen all the time to
living things because they are not all created
the same
• This is called variation
• These differences make animals either less
or more successful at survival
Or in other words ..
If every life form since the beginning of time
had been identical, we would never have
evolved from a single cell!
HOW VARIATION LEADS
TO NEW SPECIES
When an animal survives because it is born with a
feature that helps it, (such as white fur if it lives in the
snow), there is a good chance that it’s offspring will
also have white fur, so it will survive longer than a
brown furred animal. Eventually these differences can
create completely new species.
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HOW VARIATION LEADS
TO NEW SPECIES
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You have seen the next
pictures of animals before, but
take some time to discuss in
more detail how each one has
adapted to its environment.
Don’t just think of the obvious
things!
HOW HAS THIS
CREATURE ADAPTED?
ANSWERS
• Big ears to hear reflected
sounds
• Fur to trap air and keep it
warm
• Leathery wings to fly and
glide
HOW HAS THIS
CREATURE ADAPTED?
ANSWERS
• Large body to store fat for
the winter
• Strong claws to hold prey
• Sharp teeth to kill prey
• Thick fur to keep warm
HOW HAS THIS
CREATURE ADAPTED?
ANSWERS
• White fur to hide in snow
• Large ears to hear prey and
predators
• Strong back legs to run and jump
• A wide field of vision to see
predators
HOW HAS THIS
CREATURE ADAPTED?
ANSWERS
• Wings to fly
• Hollow bones to stay light
• Long beak to get bugs
• Wide field of view to protect
from predators
LEARNING CHECK:
Tell the person next to you ..
• What Variation is
• Why it is so important to the
Evolution process
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