Name: ______________________________________________________ Date: _____________ Period: _____
Honors Biology: The Great Bean Hunt
Introduction: Within every community there is a variety of species, both predator and prey. In stable
communities each species tends to maintain a relatively constant population size, particularly when
viewed over the long term. This condition is known as equilibrium. However, during times of
environmental change, a new balance of predators and prey areestablished. This lab will explore how
the forces of natural selection operate to favor species with certain physical traits while limiting the
success of others. In this experiment four different prey species (pinto beans, white beans, kidney
beans, black beans) will be the prey. Three different predators (spoons, forks, knives) will be allowed
to hunt for whichever prey type they can find. At the end of each class, reproduction will occur within
the predators and the surviving prey. As the forces of natural selection act, students will observe how
each prey and predator species is affected by their inherited traits. Students will also observe how the
environment affects each of the predators and prey.
Foraging:Each predator will be allowed to hunt for ~5 minutes. Each student will be given either a
spoon, fork, or knife. During the hunting period students will try and scoop the various beans onto the
utensil and the place them into a cup. The cup must be kept upright at all times as the beans are
scooped and placed into the cup. The following actions are not allowed during this lab and will cause
your grade to be lowered if caught: (1) Flipping the prey into the cups. (2) Shoveling the prey into
cups. (3) Using your hands to pick up the prey.(4) Spilling the cups of others.
Problem Question:Circle one of the problem questions below and write your hypothesis.
Remember to write your hypothesis as a “if…then” statement.
1. Which prey species do you predict will be best fit to this environment? Why?
or
2. Which prey species do you predict will be least fit to this environment? Why?
or
3. Which predator species do you predict will be best fit to this environment? Why?
or
4. Which predator species do you predict will be least fit to this environment? Why?
Materials:
1. Bags of various beans (pinto, white, black, kidney)
2. Boxes of plastic spoons, forks, and knives.
3. Plastic stakes and rope
4. Stopwatch
5. Plastic cups
6. Large area of land
Data Collection:Record the data that is collected in the tables on the following page. Be sure to write neatly
and double check for accuracy.This will be a combined project between all of Mr. Kobe’s biology classes. Each
class period will require information from the previous class. Inaccurate data collecting will result in a more
difficult analysis.
Graph Analysis:Once the data has been collected and shared, you will create two graphs to help illustrate the
collected information. You will be graphing the total # prey/time. Graph the grey column of the data tables
below.
Prey Data Tables
st
1 Generation (period 2)
Prey
Total # Prey
Prey Caught
Prey Survived
Kidney Bean
500
500
500
500
460
335
409
207
40
165
91
293
Prey
Total # Prey
Prey Caught
Prey Survived
Kidney Bean
136
560
308
995
115
374
210
616
21
186
98
379
Prey
Total # Prey
Prey Caught
Prey Survived
Kidney Bean
61
544
286
1108
52
289
176
636
9
255
110
472
Prey Caught
Prey Survived
Prey Caught
Prey Survived
Pinto Bean
White Bean
Black Bean
2nd Generation (period 3)
Pinto Bean
White Bean
Black Bean
3rd Generation (period 4)
Pinto Bean
White Bean
Black Bean
4thGeneration (pretend my period 5 class)
Prey
Total # Prey
Kidney Bean
21
603
260
1116
Pinto Bean
White Bean
Black Bean
5thGeneration
Prey
Total # Prey
Kidney Bean
Pinto Bean
White Bean
Black Bean
Prey Graph: You will be graphing the total number of prey / time.
Predator Data Tables
1st generation (period 2)
Predator
Total # Predators
# Prey Caught
Spoon
7
7
7
635
458
318
Predator
Total # Predators
# Prey Caught
Spoon
9
7
5
719
436
160
Predator
Total # Predators
# Prey Caught
Spoon
11
7
3
662
387
103
Predator
Total # Predators
# Prey Caught
Spoon
Knife
12
7
2
Predator
Total # Predators
Fork
Knife
2nd Generation (period 3)
Fork
Knife
3rd Generation (period 4)
Fork
Knife
4thGeneration (pretend period 5)
Fork
5thGeneration
# Prey Caught
Spoon
Fork
Knife
Predator Graph: You will be graphing the total number of predators / time.
Use this paper as a guide when writing your report. All the questions below are expected to be included in your
lab report. Be sure separate each section of your report and to type your report using your best writing skills.
Create a Title: _____________________________
Introduction: The “introduction” has four subsections. Be sure to label and separate each subsection. The
following questions should be answered in report form using your best writing skills.
A. Purpose: In your own words describe what you believe is the purpose of this lab in a clear and concise
manner.
B. Background Information:
1. Define Natural Selection
2. Define Adaptation
3. Give an example of an adaptation and explain how it aids in the survival of that organism.
4. Define Predator
5. Define Prey
C. Problem Question: state the original problem question you choose to answer.
D. Hypothesis: state your original hypothesis you created before we performed the experiment. There is no
penalty if your hypothesis is inaccurate.
Materials and Procedures:
List the materials needed to perform this experiment from the beginning.
List the procedures performed from the beginning. Be specific with your procedures because they should allow
an outsider to re-perform the experiment exactly as we did during class.Be specific. No vague directions!
Data/Results: In a scientific report, you need to include your data. Retype your data tables and graphs in this
section. All tables and graphs must be typed and created using a computer. No hand drawn graphs will be
graded. Good news…I will place the data tables online for you to download.
Analysis: This section will be the heart of your lab report. This is where you need to explain what actually
happened and why. The following questions should be answered in paragraph form using your best writing
skills. Be sure to include the question number (in parentheses) in your explanation where you answered each
question. However, I will not accept any reports where the following questions are simply answered in number
format. I expect much more than just 8 sentences running together.
1. In general, how does an environment aid in the survival of an organism?
2. According to the data collected, which predator was most fit? Why?
3. According to the data collected, which predator was least fit? Why?
4. According to the data collected, which prey was most fit? Why?
5. According to the data collected, which prey was least fit? Why?
6. What might have happened if the experiment was continued another 5 generations? Explain.
7. How might the results have differed if this experiment was performed in a dry dirt environment (such as
a baseball/softball infield)? Explain.
8. Was your hypothesis support or not supported by the collected results? Explain.
Error analysis: What were some factors (variables) that were not controlled within the experiment? Explain
how these factors could have affected the results.
Conclusion: Write a brief summary of the main ideas learned. Restate your hypothesis and explain if it was
supported or not.
Friendly Advice:
1) Don’t wait until the final night to start the report.
2) Have someone proofread your report. Don’t just rely on Spell Check and
Grammar Check.
3) All reports should be printed before you arrive to class. You will not have access
to my printer.
Typed Format:
1) Size 12 font
2) Times New Roman (or something
similar)
3) Double space
4) 1 inch margins (the default is not
1 inch)