Student Exploration: Evolution: Mutation and Selection
Vocabulary: adaptation, allele, chromosome, evolution, fitness, gene, genotype, mutation, natural
selection, phenotype, trait
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these
...
Student Exploration: Evolution: Mutation and Selection
Vocabulary: adaptation, allele, chromosome, evolution, fitness, gene, genotype, mutation, natural
selection, phenotype, trait
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. Imagine a white lizard and a brown lizard sitting on a brown rock. A hawk is circling overhead
hunting for its next meal. Which lizard do you think the hawk would most likely try to catch? Explain
your choice.
The hawk would most likely try to catch the white lizard as it is easier for the hawk to spot it.
2. Now imagine that the same two lizards were sitting on a dune of white sand. Which lizard do you
think the hawk would then most likely try to catch? Why?
The hawk would most likely try to catch the brown lizard as it is easier for the hawk to spot it.
Gizmo Warm-up
How long could a parrot survive in Antarctica? It
would probably not survive long. Parrots do not have
adaptations—or helpful characteristics—to survive icy
cold weather. Because of this, a parrot is not fit for
Antarctica. Fitness describes how well an organism can
survive and reproduce in an environment.
In the Evolution: Mutation and Selection Gizmo™, you
will see how a species’ fitness can change over time as it
becomes better adapted to its environment.
1. On the SIMULATION pane, what is the Average fitness of the population? 50
2. On the CONTROLS pane, experiment with the Background color sliders.
A. Which background color results in the highest fitness? white
B. Which background color results in the lowest fitness? black
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