Big Idea 1: Evolution
Essential Questions
 What role does evolution play in the organization of
living things?
 What evidence supports our current models of the
origin of life?
 How does the process of evolution drive diversity and
the unity of life?
 How does life evolve in changing environments?
Learning Objectives
 Convert a data set from a table of numbers that reflect a
change in the genetic makeup of a population over time and
apply mathematical methods and conceptual
understandings to investigate the causes and effects of this
change
 Evaluate evidence provided by data to qualitatively and
quantitatively investigate the role of natural selection in
evolution
 Analyze data to support the claim that responses to
information and communication of information affect natural
selection
 Apply mathematical methods to data from a real or
simulated population to predict what will happen to the
population in the future
Learning Objectives
 Evaluate data-based evidence that describes evolutionary
changes in the genetic makeup of a population over time
 Evaluate evidence provided by data from many scientific
disciplines that support biological evolution
 Refine evidence based on data from many scientific
disciplines that support biological evolution
 Design a plan to answer scientific questions regarding how
organisms have changed over time using information from
morphology, biochemistry, and geology
 Evaluate given data sets that illustrate evolution as an
ongoing process
Learning Objectives
 Connect scientific evidence from many scientific
disciplines to support the modern concept of evolution
 Construct and/or justify mathematical models,
diagrams, or simulations that represent processes of
biological evolution
 Pose scientific questions about a group of organisms
whose relatedness is described by a phylogenic tree in
order to (1) identify shared characteristics, (2) make
inferences about evolutionary history of the group, and
(3) identify character data that could extend or improve
the phylogenic tree
Learning Objectives
 Construct explanations based on scientific evidence that
homeostatic mechanisms reflect continuity due to common
ancestry and/or divergence due to adaptation in different
environments
 Analyze data related to questions of speciation and
extinction throughout Earth’s history
 Justify the selection of data that addresses questions related
to reproductive isolation and speciation
 Describe speciation in an isolated population and connect it
to a change in gene frequency, change in environment,
natural selection, and/or genetic drift
 Describe a model that represents evolution within a
population
Day 1
 Watch the video “What Darwin Never Knew”
 Write down questions/interesting points you have as
you watch
Day 2 (60 minutes)
 Required readings:
 Chapter 22, 23
 Bozeman videos:
 There are 19 videos in the “Evolution” tab on
www.bozemanscience.com that you should watch
throughout this unit
Activity 1
 Finish watching “What Darwin Never Knew”
Activity 2
 Use the website
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_01 (you
can Google “Welcome to evolution 101”) to create a word
map that organizes and connects evolutionary terms and
concepts
 Words to include (but are not limited to): adaptation,
environment, natural selection, genetic variation, speciation,
mutation, species, population
 This will be useful to come back to throughout the unit
 Time: 30 minutes
Day 3
 Natural Selection
 Artificial Selection
Activity 1 – Natural Selection
 Work with a partner to complete the allele frequency
lab
 Complete the table on the handout
 Complete the discussion questions on the back of the
handout
 Create another scenario with a different animal that has
2 different variations for a trait. What conditions would
favour one trait over another?
 Time: 45 minutes
Activity 2 – Artificial Selection
 Describe the features or abilities of dogs for which humans might
breed
 Look at the “dog breeding example” – what traits match the
example given? What other traits are important to consider? What
traits are not important to consider?
 You will be artificially selecting a new dog with certain traits by
crossing 2 already existing dogs
 Fill in the “ownership card” and “puppy traits” sheet
 Each breeding pair will produce 3 puppies, and traits can be
inherited from either the mother of father (use a coin to determine
which traits are inherited)
 Discuss the variation observed in the puppies
 Display your findings in a picture
Day 4
 Required Readings:
 Investigation #2
 Chapter 23
 Bozeman:
 Investigation #2
 Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
Activity 1
 Work through the sample model on excel
 Create your own investigation:
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What trait are you going to look at?
How many generations will you complete?
What allele frequencies will you use?
Complete a CERR write up for this investigation
CERR Write Up for
Investigation #2
 Claim – What is Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and the principles
behind it?
 What are some facts behind the trait that you have decided to
investigate? What is the % of it occurring in the real world?
 Evidence – Calculations, graph, tables from your investigation
 Reasoning – Why are you seeing what you do in your results?
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How do the allele frequencies change over generations?
Why might this be?
Why do recessive traits stay in a population?
Relate back to Hardy-Weinberg
 Rebuttal – Why don’t recessive traits disappear completely?
 Why did a trait that had a low allele frequency not become a high
frequency in the population?
 Relate back to Hardy-Weinberg
Day 5
 Required Readings:
 Chapter 22
Activity 1
 Read the excerpt of the article “Evolution of the Eye”
 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=evolution-ofthe-eye
 Support or refute the idea that the eye has changed due to
natural selection
 Provide 3 ideas to support your opinion
 Provide an example of an animal that has changed over
time by the process of natural selection
 How has it changed specifically?
 Propose a plan with scientific questions to test the theory of
natural selection
 Due – January 25
 Time: 30 minutes
Activity 2 – Library
 Use Berkley’s Understanding Evolution (Google
“Evolution 101, we have used this site before) to
explore the patterns in the diversity of life across the
planet Earth
 Connect evidence to help explain why organisms
change over time
 Interpret/analyze/manipulate the data presented to infer
how evolution has affected different species
 Time: 20 minutes
Activity 3 - Library
 Read the following articles:
 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/06071
4-evolution.html
 http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1931757,0
0.html
 Write an essay that explains how modern concepts of
evolution are supported through natural selection
 Due: January 25
Day 6 (60 min)
 Required readings:
 http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/antibiotic_resistanc
e.htm
 http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n3/antibio
tic-resistance-of-bacteria
Activity 1
 After reading the articles on the evolution of drugresistant bacteria, explain the following:
 How does the misuse of antibiotics affect the evolution of
disease-causing bacteria?
 Why should we care about a resistant strain of bacteria?
 What are 5 common diseases caused by bacteria, and
what would it mean if they became resistant to the
antibiotic that treated it?
 Time: 30 minutes
Activity 2
 Quiz
 When you finish, you can work on either of the 2
assignments due on Friday
Day 7
 Required Readings
 Chapter 26
Activity 1
How do we read this?
What does this show?
Activity 2
 We are going to make cladograms from given
information
 Complete the “Making Cladograms” with a partner
 Time: 45 minutes
Activity 3
 Cladograms practice
Day 8
 Required Readings:
 Investigation 3: Comparing DNA Sequences to
Understand Evolutionary Relationships with BLAST
 Bozeman Videos:
 Investigation 3
Activity 1
 Getting started
 Complete #1, 2
 Online Activities
 Choose 1 of the online activities to complete to prepare
for the lab
 Time: 20 minutes
Activity 2
 Complete steps 1-4
 Analyzing results
 #1-4
 Evaluating results – compare your results with the other
groups
 Time: 40 minutes
Activity 3
 Designing and Conducting Your Investigation
 Create your own investigation using the example as a
guide
 Choose a starting question to base your investigation
on
 Time: 30 minutes
Day 9
 Required Readings:
 Chapter 24
Activity 1
 Read the article “Speciation in Real Time”
(http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/news/100201_speci
ation)
 Split into 2 groups to answer the question “how can mating
differences evolve in bird populations?”
 Explain and analyze evidence from the article that suggests
that the lineage is beginning to split
 What do you think will happen with these bird populations in
another 50 years? Explain
 Time: 30 minutes
Activity 2
 http://ats.doit.wisc.edu/biology/ev/sp/t1.htm
 http://ats.doit.wisc.edu/biology/ev/sp/t2.htm
 Using these two websites, follow and analyze speciation
case studies in frogs and mosquitoes and the Florida
panther
 How does the extinction process occur? What are factors
that contribute to a species’ extinction?
 How do species affect disease vectors?
 Is the Florida panther a unique species outside of other
puma? Why or why not?
 Time: 45 minutes
Activity 3
 Choose a species that has evolved over time through
speciation
 Create a model to show how evolutionary speciation
has occurred in your species
 Describe the progression of evolutionary change and
the circumstances that lead to a new species (think
environmental factors, human influences, etc.)
 Time: 20 minutes (complete as homework)
Day 10
 Simulating the Darwinian Theory
Day 11 (60 min)
 Evolution – Constant change and common threads
lecture
Day 12
 Unit test