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Caminalcules Evolution Lab

Last updated over 3 years ago
8 questions

A Study in Biodiversity & Evolution:

Caminalcules!

College Board Topic 2.6 Adaptations
Enduring Understanding
  • Ecosystems have structure and diversity that change over time.
Learning Objective
  • Describe how organisms adapt to their environment.
Essential Knowledge
  • Organisms adapt to their environment over time, both in short- and long-term scales, via incremental changes at the genetic level.
  • Environmental changes, either sudden or gradual, may threaten a species’ survival, requiring individuals to alter behaviors, move, or perish.
Directions:
  • You will work in pairs on this activity.
  • The next 2 slides show pictures of imaginary organisms called caminalcules.
  • Using those pictures, you will complete a phylogenetic tree showing the evolutionary history/relationship of those organisms.
  • You will then use the phylogenetic tree and what you know about evolution to answer questions.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

-Charles Darwin
1

Place your numbers on the diagram below.

Create a phylogenetic tree of caminalcule images. Cut our your caminalcules and put these into a family tree, and then take photograph(s) of the tree or parts of the tree. Upload the photo(s) to the "Show your work" area below.

15

Place your photos in the box below. Try to keep them from overlapping.
Thank you for your work on this lab activity!!

Analysis Questions

1

Cite and explain two examples of convergent evolution among the Caminalcules. This means finding cases where two or more species have a similar characteristic that evolved independently in each lineage. The wings of bats, birds and bees is an example of convergence since the three groups did not inherit the characteristic from their common ancestor. Write your answers in complete sentences (e.g. “Species x and y both have ____ but their most recent common ancestor, z, did not”)

1

Cite and explain an example of divergent evolution.

1

Selective pressure is the group of environmental conditions that directs the evolution of species. Imagine the possible life habits and selective pressures of the cases of Questions 1 and 2, try to propose why they have evolved like this. (i.e. why would some organisms converge to have similar traits even though they don’t have a common ancestor with that trait; why would other organisms have a common ancestor but then evolve new and distinct traits.)

1

You will notice that some lineages (e.g. the descendants of species 56) branched many times and are represented by many living species. Imagine and explain 2 ecological conditions that you think might result in the rapid diversification of some lineages?

1

Some lineages (e.g. the descendants of species 58) changed very little over time. A good example of this would be “living fossils” like the horseshoe crab or cockroach. What are some ecological conditions and/or adaptations that might result in this sort of long-term evolutionary stasis?

1

Some Caminalcules went extinct without leaving descendants. In the real world, identify 2 factors that might increase the probability of a species going extinct. Identify 2 factors might decrease the probability of a species going extinct. Which of these are man-made factors and which are natural?