Evolution Webquest
Directions:
You will use the links listed below to learn about evolution: what it is, various hypotheses about it,
Charles Darwin and his ideas, etc. This is sort of a “crash course” introduction to evolutionary theory, so
the answers you write for the objectives below will need to be thorough and detailed.
Objectives
A. Explain the spontaneous generation hypothesis. Describe the experiments of Redi, Needham,
Spallanzani, and Pasteur to support or falsify this hypothesis.
http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BC/Spontaneous_Generation.php
http://www.microbiologytext.com/index.php?module=Book&func=displayarticle&art_id=27
B. Explain the biological definition of evolution.
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIntro.shtml
C. Differentiate among chemical evolution, organic evolution, and the evolutionary steps along the way
to aerobic heterotrophs and photosynthetic autotrophs.
http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-iii/organic-evolution/organic-evolution.php
http://www.biol.wwu.edu/lapsansk/101/Organic%20Evolution.pdf
http://go.hrw.com/resources/go_sc/hst/HTNBVL257.PDF
D. Discuss Darwin’s principle of survival of the fittest and explain what Darwin meant by natural
selection. (But first of all, who was Charles Darwin!)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml
http://anthro.palomar.edu/evolve/evolve_2.htm
E. Explain the influences of other scientists (e.g., Malthus, Wallace, Lamarck, Lyell) and of Darwin’s trip
on HMS Beagle in formulating Darwin’s ideas about natural selection.
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/history_14
http://www.ck12.org/biology/Darwins-Voyage-of-theBeagle/lesson/user%3Asschultz/Darwin%2527s-Voyage-of-the-Beagle-%2528a%2529/
F. Contrast Lamarck’s and Darwin’s ideas about changes in organisms over time.
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/history_09
http://necsi.edu/projects/evolution/lamarck/intro./lamarck_intro.html
G. Provide examples of behaviors that have evolved through natural selection (e.g., migration, courtship
rituals)
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIIE1Atwork.shtml
http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=4&secNum=8
H. Specifically describe the conditions required to be considered a species (e.g., reproductive isolation,
geographic isolation)
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/VA1BioSpeciesConcept.shtml
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_44
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/VCCausesSpeciation.shtml
I. Describe the basic types of selection, including disruptive, stabilizing, and directional.
http://www.columbia.edu/~mvh7/STEP/Regents%20Bio/misc/science.pdf