Evolution Computer Modules
Web address = http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/students.php
Under Exhibits & Investigations:
o
Getting Into the Fossil Record
o Level 2
o Work through slides
o Fill out: Focus Questions
o
Understanding Geologic Time
o Student Start
o Work through slides
o Fill out: Focus Questions
o
Life Has a History
o Level 2
o Work through slides
o Fill out: Focus Questions
o
Comic Strip: Survival of the Sneakiest
o Read the comic strip
o Fill out: Survival of the Sneakiest Questions
o
The Arthropod Story
o Start Here
o Work through slides
o Fill out: The Arthropod Story Questions
o
Similarities and Differences: Understanding homology and analogy
o Read slides
o
Evolution 101
Work through slides as a summary
Getting Into the Fossil Record
Name:_________________ Class:_________________
Directions: Answer the following questions as you navigate through Getting Into the
Fossil Record.
1. What kinds of questions can the fossil record help us to answer?
2. Describe the difference between a body fossil and a trace fossil.
3. Why are organisms that are buried rapidly more likely to fossilize than
those that are buried slowly or not at all?
4. Describe two ways an organism can become a fossil without being
buried in sediment.
5. How does the environment affect the formation of fossils?
6. Describe three factors that could prevent an organism from long ago
from ever turning up in a fossil collection today.
7. How are geologic maps useful to paleontologists?
8. In your own words, explain why the fossil record is not complete.
Understanding Geologic Time
Name:_________________ Class:_________________
Directions: Answer the following questions as you navigate through Understanding
Geologic Time.
1. How is relative age different from the actual date of an event?
2. What can radiometric dating tell us about the age of rocks that the Law
of Superposition cannot?
3. How can you find the age of a layer of rock that is surrounded by layers
of volcanic ash?
4. What do the periods in the geologic time scale represent?
5. What do the terms Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic mean?
Life has a History
Name:_________________ Class:_________________
Directions: Answer the following questions as you navigate through Understanding
Geologic Time.
1. Of the 30 million species of living things estimated to exist today, how many of
them are not animals?
2. Find the timeline. How many millions of years did dinosaurs exist on Earth before
they became extinct?
3. Name at least 5 things other than bones that can be preserved as fossils.
4. Explain what divergence is.
5. In your own words, describe what cladograms represent.
6. What types of evidence are used to determine evolutionary relationships?
7. In your own words, explain how Geospiza Fortis is a good example of natural
selection.
8. Describe two other mechanisms for evolution in addition to natural selection.
9. Give an example of an animal that has gone extinct because of human influence
and explain what happened.
Peppered Moth Simulation
Objective: Simulate changes in moth population due to pollution and predation, and
observe how species can change over time.
Introduction:
Charles Darwin accumulated a tremendous collection of facts to support the theory of
evolution by natural selection. One of his difficulties in demonstrating the theory,
however, was the lack of an example of evolution over a short period of time, which
could be observed as it was taking place in nature. Although Darwin was unaware of it,
remarkable examples of evolution, which might have helped to persuade people of his
theory, were in the countryside of his native England. One such example is the
evolution of the peppered moth Biston betularia.
The economic changes known as the industrial revolution began in the middle of the
eighteenth century. Since then, tons of soot have been deposited on the country side
around industrial areas. The soot discoloured and generally darkened the surfaces of
trees and rocks. In 1848, a dark-coloured moth was first recorded. Today, in some
areas, 90% or more of the-peppered moths are dark in colour. More than 70 species of
moth in England have undergone a change from light to dark. Similar observations have
been made in other industrial nations, including the United States.
Instructions:
Go to http://www.techapps.net/interactives/pepperMoths.swf
You will run two simulations for 5 minutes each, during this time you will play the part of
a bluejay that eats moths. After 5 minutes record the % of dark moths and light moths you will need this information later. Use a clock or timer to measure the time.
Lichen (light colored) forest
Soot (dark colored) forest
Data and Analysis
Answer on a separate page to turn in. Answers should be in complete sentences.
1. Draw a data table similar to the one shown below where data is recorded for moths
after 5 minutes of running the simulation.
2. Explain how the color of the moths increases or decreases their chances of survival.
3. Explain the concept of "natural selection" using your moths as an example.
4. What would happen if there were no predators in the forest. Would the colors of the
moths change over time? Defend your answer.
5. Propose a design for another experiment that tests moth phenotypes in a forest
where there are no predators. The limiting factor is food availability for caterpillars (baby
moths) and caterpillars with larger mouthparts are able to obtain food faster. What data
would researchers take in this experiment to show how natural selection affects the
moth populations.