Week 10- Natural Selection

 

 Week 10- Natural Selection

 Learning This Week:

This week in lab we looked further into natural selection and how it shapes the ecosystems that we know today. Natural selection is the process by which certain traits become more or less common in a population over time. The outcome of this process is evolution, which is the permanent change of genetic makeup in a population. Natural selection is based on existing traits and the dominant traits of the ecosystem will succeed. Causes of natural selection include: mutation, adaptation, competition, chance events, and other environmental factors. Evolution on the other hand has multiple drivers such as: natural selection, genetic drift, migration, and mutation. Evidence that evolution has occurred can be found in fossils that show physical proof of the existence of animals that lived long ago which are now extinct. Another piece of evidence is certain parts of the human body that are no longer useful but can attribute to the physical makeup of primate ancestors like the tail bone. 


Bean Simulation 

Application to Future Teaching: 

In lab this week we did a simulation to help us gather a good idea of natural selection and evolution. The first simulation we were given three hundred beans (3 different kinds) that represented the prey. Each person at our table group were given one of three utensils that were the predators. The different types of predators that you could have were a popsicle stick, a spoon, or a fork. Each utensil had its advantages and disadvantages. I was given the fork which ultimately worked out as being the best "predator". We were tasked to scoop as many beans into our cups in 30 seconds. The person who scooped the least amount of beans into their cup died off and had to choose a different utensil to scoop with. Our group all ended up with forks and we found that the black beans were picked the most often. 

Bean Simulation Results

Questions for Further Study

1.) What has been the most significant change regarding evolution over time? 

2.) How do you be mindful of students religious beliefs when teaching evolution? 

Peppered Moth Simulation


Comments

  1. Rachel O'KeeffeMarch 28, 2024 at 12:04 PM

    Hi Bailie! You did a great job explaining the activity we did this week. My group had a similar experience as yours, and we almost all ended up with forks. Your questions are really great! I also want to know how to balance religion and respect when teaching about evolution. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nicole HomrighausenMarch 28, 2024 at 2:35 PM

    You definitely asked some important questions about evolution. Now, I too am wondering what some of the most significant change regarding evolution is. It is also very important to think about religious beliefs when teaching, I know that this can relate to so many things in education but evolution is something that is a big topic that goes against religion. I too was wondering how we can teach something like this and still be mindful of the religions of our students and their families.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Briar Crain - Science MethodsMarch 31, 2024 at 5:06 PM

    Hello Bailie! I really like everything that you had to say this week. Your descriptions of the activity and everything we learned did a great job of summarizing this week's materials! I think your questions are deep and meaningful, and something I am curious to learn more about too. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Piper PriceMarch 31, 2024 at 5:59 PM

    I think your explanation of our learning and the activity from lab this week are spot-on! It seems like you really gauged the right ideas. I also think your questions are very thought provoking--especially the one about religion since our students will come from all sorts of backgrounds!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anna's Science BlogApril 10, 2024 at 11:26 AM

    Hi Bailee! I really enjoyed your detailed explanations of what you worked on in class. I also enjoyed your thorough explanation of the simulation activity of natural selection. Nice work!

    ReplyDelete

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