Survival of the Fittest:
What is the question we are investigating in this lab?
Which type of bird was most fit to survive?
Based on question #2 above:
What made that bird able to survive?
What could they do that the others could not?
Which population was best able to reproduce?
(In order to reproduce you must be able to survive)
When examining the finches, many scientists observe how changes to the environment/access to food affects phenotypic distribution within the population. This means they are looking to see how the frequency of physical traits changes over time.
Complete the sentences below based on data from our lab:
The frequency of round beaks over time because .
The frequency of sharp beaks over time because.
Which graph best represents the phenotypic distribution of beak shape if we were to run our lab for 10 generations?
(In your own words, what do you think this means? Write 2 to 3 sentences)
In terms of evolution, what makes an organism "fit"?
(Select all that apply)
In the Amazon rainforest, many birds rely on long, stringy worms (like spaghetti) for food. Which bird would have the highest fitness?
On the Galapagos Islands, many birds rely on crabs with a thick outer shell for food. Their beaks have to crack and cut the shells in order to eat the crab meat inside. Which bird would have the highest fitness?
The data table above shows the survival rates of three populations of finches over four generations. Which beak has the highest fitness, and how do you know?
The diagram below shows different beak shapes of finches. In the ancestral species of finches, beak size was much larger than in three living species of finches.
Which question would BEST help determine whether the change beak size and shape of these finches was influenced by natural selection?
Within a beetle population there are two alleles for color. Green beetles (G) and orange beetles (g), Observe the beetle population over generations below and answer the questions that follow.
Based on the graph, when are insects the highest?
Based on the data, what month(s) would baby Kiwis have the best chance of survival and why?
The Great Spotted Kiwi can only lay a single egg once per year.
While the female Kiwi reproductive cycle lasts from July through February, breeding season (when Kiwis lay their egg) is typically in January. The male kiwi then incubates the egg until it hatches in April or May.
Based on the information in the charts, what is the most likely explanation for the Great Spotted Kiwi to lay their eggs in January instead of any other month?
What is happening to the orange beetles over time?
What is happening to the green beetles over time?
Which color is most fit? Why?
Why did the green beetles decrease over time?
Why did the orange beetles increase over time?
What happened to the total number of beetles (green and orange combined) over time?
What do you think would happen to the total number of beetles if the only allele in the population was the (G) green beetles?
Is the variation in the population (having the g orange allele) a good thing for the beetles?
Based on the graph, when are weasels the highest?
If Kiwi eggs take 3 months to hatch, when should the mother kiwi lay her egg to ensure her baby hatches at the appropriate time?
