Transcript Unit 6 - tasokbiology

Evolution
Essential Questions

 Why is there such a great diversity of organisms on
Earth?
 What are mutations and how do they lead to new
species?
 Why do organisms live where they do? How are
organisms adapted to live in the habitat that they
live in?
 What are some of the modes of evolution?
 Are humans still evolving?
 How can we observe evolution?
Day 1: Variation

 Required Readings:
 3.24
 Learning Objectives:
 To recall that living organisms differ from one another
 To distinguish between continuous and discontinuous
variation
Starter

 Why do you think there is so much variation within
species?
 Provide some examples (at least 3) of organisms and
how they vary.
 Time: 10 minutes
Activity 1

 Watch the video “The Making of the Fittest: Natural
Selection and Adaptation”
 Complete the quiz as you watch it. Don’t worry if
you don’t finish the quiz
 Time: 15 minutes
Activity 2

 Move to your lab groups
 Complete the Color Variation in Rock Pocket Mouse
Populations packet
 Time: 35 minutes
Activity 3

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/organi
sms_behaviour_health/variation_classification/revis
ion/1/
 Read through the summary, complete the activity
and the quiz
 Time: 20 minutes
Closing & Homework

 Complete the quiz (due Monday)
 Complete the “Color Variation in Rock Pocket
Mouse Population” (due Monday)
Day 2

 What Darwin Never Knew
 While watching the video,
 Write down questions that they have after watching the
video
 Keep note of interesting facts/information that they learned
while watching the video
 Hand these in at the end of the lesson
 Homework: What is your personal view of evolution?
Give 3 points to support your claim. Why do you think
evolution is such a controversial topic to learn about?
Day 3: Causes of
Variation

 Required Readings:
 3.25
 Learning Objectives:
 To identify mutation and sexual reproduction as
sources of variation
 To understand that mutations may involve whole
chromosomes or genes within them
 To recognize that environmental factors may increase
the likelihood of mutation
Starter

 What is a mutation?
 How do mutations occur?
 What do mutations do to an organism?
 Are mutations good, bad or neither? Explain.
 Time: 15 minutes
Activity 1

 Any questions on last week’s video?
 Time: 5 minutes
Activity 2

 Get into your lab groups
 Mutations and Variation activity
 Time: 45 minutes
Discussion

 Which mutation caused the greatest delay in acquiring
food?
 Which mutation caused the greatest delay in processing
and consuming food?
 What would these mutations do to the population of the
environment?
 What were some adaptations to the mutations your group
came up with?
 In what environment would each mutation be beneficial
in? Harmful?
 What type of animal would have these mutations?
Activity 3

 Beneficial vs. harmful mutations
 Create a cartoon showing the benefits and the harms
of mutations
 Time: 15 minutes
Day 4 (60 min)

 Required Readings:
 3.26: Variation and NS: The Evolution of Species
 Learning Objectives:
 To understand the meaning of adaptation and to
provide examples of this
 To realize that Darwin’s theory benefited from the
ideas of other scientists
Activity 1

 Go to the website:
http://sciencenetlinks.com/esheets/nowhere-tohide/
 Play the game and answer the questions 1-9 on the
first page
 Go to the website:
www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/pepperedmot
h.html
 Complete the simulation and answer the data and
analysis section
Homework

 Activities due Tuesday, February 26
Day 5

 Required readings:
 3.27: Natural Selection
 Learning Objectives:
 TO understand how adaptation leads to natural
selection
Activities

 Work in your groups to complete the following
activities:
 Using a picture, explain how and why natural
selection occurred in Darwin’s finches in the
Galapagos Islands
 Create a powerpoint with the following:
 Research the following and give examples where this
occurs in nature: over-production, survival of the fittest,
struggle for existence, variation, passing on
advantageous characteristics to offspring
 How are new species formed? How do selective
pressures affect how a species evolves?
Day 6

 Required Readings:
 None
 Learning Objectives:
 To simulate the Darwinian theory of natural selection
 Observe how natural selection affects a population
 Learn how mutations, gene flow, genetic drift, and
selective mating affect a population
 Understand how natural selection tends to create a
population more adapted for its environment
Starter

 Any problems from last week’s work?
 Show me the work you completed from the last 2
lessons
 Time: 15 minutes
Activity 1

 Get into your lab groups
 Read through the “Engage” section of the activity
and answer the questions on the side
 Time: 10 minutes
Activity 2

 Work through the “explore” section
 You will do 2 generations at each of the three
habitats
 I will tell you “start” and “stop” for each of the
generations after you have your station set up
 Record the data when needed
 Time: 45 minutes
Activity 3

 Answer the “explain” questions with your group
 Time: 15 minutes
Day 7

 Required Readings:
 None
 Learning Objectives:
 To simulate the Darwinian theory of natural selection
 Observe how natural selection affects a population
 Learn how mutations, gene flow, genetic drift, and
selective mating affect a population
 Understand how natural selection tends to create a
population more adapted for its environment
Activity 1

 Work through the “Extend” section of the
“Simulating the Darwinian Theory” lab
 When completed, answer the “Explain” questions
with your group
 Hand in one copy plus your observations
 You may use the rest of the time to get caught up on
missing work
Day 8

 Required readings:
 None
 Learning Objectives:
 To form an opinion with proof to back up your
opinion on whether humans are still evolving or not
Starter

 Compare and contrast early man to humans today (you may use
your phones/computers to research)
 Some things to include are:
 Physical features (height, weight, skin colour)
 Structural features (do we have all the same organs? Are some
structures now vestigial?)
 Technological advances – how have these affected our evolution?
 Intelligence
 Time: 20 minutes
Activity 1

 Read the instructions for “Worksheet 5.3”
 By yourself, respond to the question “Are humans
still evolving?”
 You can write your answer on the handout
provided, or if you would like to answer it in
another form, you may do so
 Be thoughtful and thorough in your response. Don’t
rush, you will be given plenty of time to answer.
 Be sure to back up your opinions with evidence
 Time: 20 minutes
Activity 2

 Move to your lab groups
 Share your thoughts and ideas about if humans are
still evolving or not
 Things to think about include:
 Does your socioeconomic status matter? Think –
Developed countries vs. developing countries;
wealthy vs. impoverished
 Does biotechnology have an effect on evolution?
 Time: 10 minutes
Activity 3

 Read through the 3 articles with your lab group on
whether humans are still evolving or not
 Highlight/underline key ideas as you read
 As a group, draw a conclusion for the question “are
humans still evolving” and depict your conclusion
on the poster paper
 Have at least 3 arguments/proof to support your
claim
 Time: 30 minutes
Day 9 (60 min)

 Required Readings:
 None
 Learning Objectives:
 To explain the evolution of animal structures in
relation to Darwin’s theory
Starter

 Tiktaalik is believed to be the first vertebrate land
animal
 Why did Tiktaalik move from the water to land?
 What parts needed to evolve in order to survive on
land?
 How did this pave the way for other land species to
evolve?
 Time: 15 minutes
Activity 1

 Look at the different pictures with your group
 For each of the structures, explain how the structure
evolved from an ancestral structure. You can write
your answers in “Part 1”
 You can use the internet to help you out if you get
stuck on any of the structures
 We will share our answers at the end
 Time: 25 minutes
Activity 2

 What is the Darwinian theory of evolution?
 Were there previous theories before Darwin? If so,
explain how they are different from Darwin’s.
 Create a concept map/flow chart/spider web to
communicate your answers
 Time: 20 minutes
Day 10

 Required Readings:
 Learning Objectives:
 To see the adaptive features of a frog through a
dissection
Starter

 What do the following words mean? You will need to
understand these in order to make observations for our
dissection.







Dorsal
Ventral
Vomerine teeth
Hind legs
Pericardial membrane
Villi
Mesentery
 Time: 15 minutes
Activity 1

 Work through the “dissecting frog evolution”
handout, using the “how to dissect a frog” as a
guideline for the steps you need to take to dissect
 Fill in your observations and explanations as you go
 Time: 60 minutes
Activity 2

 Discussion and summing up the dissection
 Time: 20 minutes
Day 11

 Required Readings:
 None
 Learning Objectives:
 To investigate coevolution and research animals that
have coevolved
 To develop a theory for why dinosaurs became extinct
Starter
 These two species have coevolved
 What do you think this term means using the picture
below as a guide
 Time: 10 minutes

Activity 1
 Go to the website http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/biowarfare_01
 How are the following concepts addressed in the article?
 There is a fit between organisms and their environments, though not always a perfect
fit.
 Evolution results from natural selection acting upon genetic variation within a
population.
 Natural selection and genetic drift act on the variation that exists in a population.
 Inherited characteristics affect the likelihood of an organism’s survival and
reproduction.
 Over time, the proportion of individuals with advantageous characteristics may
increase (and the proportion with disadvantageous characteristics may decrease) due
to their likelihood of surviving and reproducing.
 Traits that confer an advantage may persist in the population and are called
adaptations.
 Depending on environmental conditions, inherited characteristics may be
advantageous, neutral, or detrimental.
 Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence.
 Scientists use multiple research methods (experiments, observational research,
comparative research, and modeling) to collect data.
 Scientists can test ideas about events and processes long past, very distant, and not
directly observable.
 Scientists use experimental evidence to study evolutionary processes.

Activity 2

 Go to the website
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/l
essons/lesson1/act2.html
 Work through part A & B
Day 12: Artificial
Selection

 Required Readings:
 3.28: Artificial Selection
 Learning Objectives:
 To understand the process of artificial selection
Starter

 Artificial selection has been going on for hundreds of
years
 What is artificial selection?
 What are the
benefits?
 All of these
vegetables come
wild mustard.
 How do you think
it was done?
 Time: 15 minutes
Activity 1

 Humans have been using artificial selection to breed
dogs for hundreds of years
 Why do you think we might want to artificially
select dogs?
 Do you think that we would get the desired outcome
on the first try? Explain.
 Watch the short clip on artificial selection
 Time: 15 minutes
Activity 2

 Describe the features or abilities of dogs for which
humans might breed
 Look at the “dog breeding example” – what traits
match the example given? What other traits are
important to consider? What traits are not important
to consider?
 Time: 10 minutes
Activity 3

 You will be artificially selecting a new dog with
certain traits by crossing 2 already existing dogs
 Fill in the “ownership card” and “puppy traits” sheet
 Each breeding pair will produce 3 puppies, and traits
can be inherited from either the mother of father (use
a coin to determine which traits are inherited)
 Discuss the variation observed in the puppies
 Display your findings in a picture
 Time: 30 minutes