- Number of visits 0
- Number of saves 0
- 0
Description
- Overview:
- In their study of the medium ground finches, evolutionary biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant were able to track the evolution of beak size twice in an amazingly short period of time due to two major droughts that occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. This activity simulates the food availability during these droughts and demonstrates how rapidly natural selection can act when the environment changes. Students use two different types of tools to represent different beak types to see which is best adapted to collect and eat seeds of different sizes. Students collect and analyze data and draw conclusions about traits that offer a selective advantage under different environmental conditions. They have the option of using an Excel spreadsheet to calculate different descriptive statistics and interpret graphs.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Level:
- High School
- Grades:
- Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12
- Material Type:
- Lesson Plan
- Time Required:
- Less than 60 min
- Author:
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Provider:
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Date Added:
- 02/26/2019
- Media Format:
- Text/HTML
- Interactivity Type:
- Mixed
Evaluations
No evaluations yet.
Comments