Name:________________________________________________
Per:_________________
Ecology
Personal Word Wall
Ecology
Stable
Food web
Biodiversity
Unstable
Food chain
Population
Birth rate
Producers
Community
Death rate
Consumers
Ecosystem
Immigration
Decomposers
Biome
Emigration
Climate change
1
Ecology
1. Vocabulary:
a. Ecology: _______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is ecology?
Ecology: The study of ____________________________________ that take place between
________________ and their ___________________________________________________
Interactions: How __________________________ organisms ___________ on each
____________________
 For example, in ________________________ living organisms ___________________
with _____________________________ parts of the _________________________.
o ____________________ interact with the water, ______________________
interact with the grasses, and _________________________ interact with snails.
3. Who studies ecology?
Ecologist: A person who _____________________ the ______________________ between
living things (ecology)
Example Careers:
 Field biologist: Works ______________, collects __________ from plant surveys, and
________ birds
o Find ways to
_______________________________________________________________________
____
4. Examine the interactions
2
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #1 – ecology
Directions: Consider environment below.
1. Name 3 interactions between things in the environment
2. Name one interaction between a living and nonliving thing
3
Homework #1 – Ecology
1. What is ecology?
2. What do ecologists study?
3. What does the word “interaction” mean?
Levels of Organization
1. Vocabulary:
a. Population: A _________________ of the _____________ species that lives in one ______________
b. Community: A _______________ of ________________ species that live together in one ________
c. Ecosystem: All the _____________ and ___________________ things in an ______________
d. Biome: A major regional or global community of organisms, characterized by the
climate condition and plant communities that thrive there
2. What ecologists study:
a. Nature on _______________________
_______________________
b. From _______________________  to
____________________________
3. Levels of Organization
Biome: An area that has the ____________ climate
and _____________ communities.
(Examples: _____________, Tundra, etc)
Ecosystem: All of the ___________________ and
climate, __________, water, ____________, and
4
_______________________ things in an ___________
Community: A ____________ of ______________ species that ________ together in one ____________

Alligators, _______________, birds, fish, and __________________
Population: A group of the _________ species that ______________ together in one ____________
Organism: An individual ____________ _____________
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #2 – Levels of organization
1. What are the 5 levels of organization studied by ecologists?
2. If an ecologist is studying a group of different species that lives in one area, what level are they
studying?
3. If an ecologist is studying all of the organisms and climate, soil, water, rocks, and nonliving things
in an area, what level are they studying?
4. If an ecologist is studying a group of the same species that lives together in one area, what level
are they studying?
5. Why is it important to study ALL the levels of organization?
Homework #2 – Levels of organization
5
Description: Fill in the 5 levels of organization with a description and pictures
The Living Earth
How is Earth different from the other planets in the solar system? One difference is that
Earth supports living organisms! The part of Earth with life is called the biosphere. The biosphere
includes the top part of the crust, the oceans, and the atmosphere.
The biosphere is made of many different environments. The environments on Earth are
home to many different kinds of organisms. For example, the Rio Grande Valley receives very little
rain. Cacti, lizard, coyotes, javelinas and many other organisms live in this type of environment. On
the other hand, rain forests receive plenty of rain. Parrots, monkeys, large trees, and thousands of
others live in the rain forest. There are many other environments all over the world.
If you visit Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, you might see something like the
pictures. A hawk lands on a plant. The hawk lives off of snakes in the grass. A butterfly pollinates
the plant. These pictures are part of an ecosystem. An ecosystem includes all of the living and nonliving things in an area. In the pictures, the plant, hawk, butterfly, water, sunlight, soil and air are all
part of the desert ecosystem. Ecology is the study of how organisms and non-living things interact
in an environment. Ecologists are scientists who study ecosystems.
Imagine you are an ecologist. You might study how cougars move from place to place and
how they care for their young. You would be studying the members of a population. A population is
made of all the organisms in an ecosystem that are from the same species (the same type of
organism). For example, all the hawks in Laguna Atascosa make up one population. All the
6
monarch butterflies make up another population. All the border lilies make up yet another
population.
Another ecologist might be studying how butterflies pollinate border lilies. Another
ecologist might be studying how the snake population reacts to an increase in the hawk population.
These ecologists are studying how different populations interact. They are studying a community.
A community is made of all the populations in an ecosystem. This means that it includes all living
organisms in the ecosystem. A rainforest community would include all the parrots, monkeys, trees,
and other living organisms in the rainforest. An arctic community might include populations of fish,
seals that eat the fish, and polar bears that eat the seals.
Every organism in an ecosystem needs a place to live. The place where an organism lives is
its habitat. The salamander in the picture is in its habitat. Salamanders avoid sunlight and seek
damp, dark places. They eat worms, insects, and slugs. An organism’s habitat provides food,
shelter, and the appropriate amount of heat and moisture.
Name:________________________________
Practice #3 – The Living Earth
Per:______
1. What is an ecosystem?
2.
3. What is ecology?
4. What is a population?
5. What is a community?
6. What is a habitat?
7. What is the difference between a community and a population?
8. Give one example of a community
7
9. Give one example of a population
10. Look at the picture. List ALL the populations you see
in the picture.
11. Look at the picture. Describe one interaction that might occur between populations.
12. Look at the picture. What things are NOT part of the community?
Biomes
1. Vocabulary:
Rai
nfall
a. Tundra: A vast, __________, treeless ____________ region of Europe, Asia, and North
America where the _____________________ is permanently _________________
b. Desert: A dry, often ______________ region of little _______________, ___________________
temperatures, and sparse ____________________________.
c. Savannah: A grassy _________ in tropical and subtropical regions, with __________ trees
d. Temperate Grasslands: Areas of ___________ ___________________ with very few trees,
located in _________________________ climates
e. Taiga (Coniferous Forest): __________________ of dense ___________________ trees that
extend across __________________ America, Europe, and Asia
f. Temperate (Deciduous) Forest: Areas with high levels of ___________________,
humidity and contain a variety of _____________________ that lose their leaves in winter
g. Tropical Forest: Areas characterized by ______________________ vegetation, seasonally
__________________ temperatures, and abundant ___________________
2. What is each biome like?
Temperate
Forest
Taiga
Tropical
Rainforest
Temperate
Grassland
Savannah
Desert
Tundra
8
Temperature
Plants
Animals
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #4 – Biomes
Directions: Use the descriptions to choose which biome it describes
Temperate Forest
Savannah
Taiga
Desert
Tropical Forest
Temperate Grassland
Tundra
1. This biome has high levels of rainfall and deciduous trees
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
2. This biome has high rainfall, high humidity, and dense vegetation
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
3. This biome is a grassy plain with little rainfall and few trees
9
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
4. This biome had dense evergreen trees and colder temperatures
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
5. This biome is dry and sandy, with extreme temperatures
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
6.
This biome has very few trees and colder climates. Some animals are prairie dogs and mice
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
7. This biome is a flat, treeless area where the soil is frozen
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
8. In this biome, you could find grass, lions, zebras, bushes, and hyenas
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
9. In this biome, you could find hundreds of different types of plants and monkeys, parrots,
butterflies, and snakes
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
10. In this biome, you could find cacti, jack rabbits, rats, lizards, and snakes
_______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
Biotic and Abiotic Factors
1. Vocabulary:
a. Ecosystem:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
b. Biotic factors:________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
c. Abiotic factors: _____________________________________________________________________________
10
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is an ecosystem?
a. Ecosystem: All the _________________ and _____________________ things in an _______________
b. Examples:
i. Garden
ii. Log
3. Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Rainforest
Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
Desert
Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #5 – Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Directions: Compare two ecosystems (including biotic and abiotic factors)
Ecosystem #1:___________________________________ Ecosystem
#2:______________________________
11
Homework #5 – Biotic and Abiotic Factors
1. What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?
2. What is an ecosystem?
3. How do biotic and abiotic factors interact in the tropic rainforest?
4. Name 3 biotic factors in the Southern California ecosystem
5. Name 3 abiotic factors in the Southern
California ecosystem
Biodiversity
12
1. Vocabulary:
a. Biodiversity: _________________________________________________________________________________
2. Types of Biodiversity:
High Biodiversity
 An ecosystem that has a large
______________________ of plants and animals
 _________________________________________
Low Biodiversity
 An ecosystem that has very _________
______________________ plants and a
 _________________________________
RAINFOREST:
Over 1,00 species of insects live in just one kind of rainforest tree, and the rainforest contains
over 250,000 different kinds of plants
High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________
DESERT:
Many plants and animals have difficulty surviving in the scorching heat of the desert
High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________
WETLANDS:
Wetlands support a wide variety of species. Plant life flourishes in the wetlands
High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________
3. Examples of biodiversity
Name:________________________________
Per:______
13
Practice #6 – Biodiversity
1. What is biodiversity?
2. What are the two types of biodiversity?
3. If an ecosystem had a wide variety of plants and animals, would it have high or low biodiversity?
4. A log provides a habitat for a wide variety of species. It is home to ants, termites, weeds and
fungi. The sun helps the organisms to thrive and the rain provides water for the plants. Does the
log ecosystem show high or low biodiversity?
5. Do you think the Santa Monica Mountains ecosystem has high or low biodiversity? Why?
Homework #6 – Biodiversity
TUNDRA:
The tundra’s frozen soil makes it difficult for many plants or animals to live there
High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________
GARDEN:
A garden has a wide variety of flowers, vegetables, weeds, worms, and bugs
High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________
LA High’s classrooms:
The dirty floors of LA High provide a home to a variety of mice, cockroaches, and ants
High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________
14
15
The Loss of Biodiversity
Emperor tamarins are omnivores that eat
fruits, insects, flowers and nectar. As seed
dispersers for a variety of plant species,
these primates are important to the health of
the tropical rain forest ecosystems in which
they live.
Extinction is occurring at a rate that
is 1000 times faster than any time in the
past 100,000 years. Wide swathes of rain forest are being destroyed as
humans develop the land for agriculture and other human needs. Because
rain forests are areas with high biodiversity, each time an acre of
land is lost, species that once lived there may be lost as well. Why
is biodiversity important? How does its loss affect you?
Biodiversity at Risk
At present, we are losing more species than we are finding.
Across the globe, animal species that are known to be threatened with
extinction include
 12 percent of all birds
 30 percent of all fishes
 24 percent of all mammals
 20 percent of all amphibians
Biologists think that there are least 10 million, and possibly as
many as 100 million, species of plants and animals. At current rates
of extinction, over half of these species will be gone by the end of
this century. Extinction is a natural process and is always occurring.
Using evidence from the fossil record, the background extinction rate
is calculated to be between 10 and 100 species per year. However, the
current rate of extinction greatly exceeds that number. Hundreds of
thousands of species will disappear before we are even aware of their
existence.
Does Biodiversity Really Matter?
16
Some people
rest of the
development
o
might suggest that biodiversity belongs in a zoo and the
world belongs to humans to develop. Arguments in favor of
include the following:
The rise and fall of species is part of nature. No species
lives forever. New species replace old ones.
o Economic development provides jobs to people who are
living in poverty.
o Land set aside as wilderness could be better used as
farmland to provide more food for a rapidly increasing
human population.
Conservation biologists view the pro-development arguments as
shortsighted. Their view is that the Earth must be maintained for
future generations, not simply harvested to provide for the needs
of its current population. In fact, they argue that biodiversity
plays an important part in ecosystem stability.
The Value of Biodiversity
Ecosystems provide human communities with a number of services
free of charge, including air and water purification, flood and
drought control, pollination of crops and other vegetation, dispersal
of seeds, and nutrient cycling. These services have an economic value.
If it were possible for humans to pay for ecosystem services based on
their market value, biologists estimate that the cost would be
approximately $33 trillion annually.
In general, the more species that live in an ecosystem, the more
efficient and stable that ecosystem will be. For example, a rain
forest can produce much more oxygen than an orchard full of apple
trees. Also, many plants, including 75 percent of the world’s staple
crop plants, need animal pollinators such as birds and insects to help
them reproduce.
In addition, 40 percent of all medicines are derived from plants,
animals, and microbes. For example, biologists are developing a
painkiller based on an extract from the skin of an Ecuadorian frog.
The painkiller is 200 times stronger than morphine, but is not
addictive. Every time a plant, animal, or microbe becomes extinct,
biologists lose whatever knowledge they might have been able to gain
by studying it.
17
Unanswered Questions
As you have learned, biodiversity is very valuable. Yet questions
remain about how best to protect biodiversity. Two of these unanswered
questions include
o How can we slow down the current extinction rate?
o Some of the areas with the highest amount of
biodiversity are located in developing countries.
o
How can biodiversity be preserved without harming
the country’s economic growth?
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #7 – the loss of Biodiversity
18
Biodiversity = Stable and Unstable
19
1. Vocabulary:
a. Ecosystem: ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why is biodiversity important?:
a. ___________________ biodiversity helps an ecosystem _______________ environmental change
b. Example of environmental change =
i. _______________________________________________
ii. _______________________________________________
iii. _______________________________________________
3. Stable vs. unstable ecosystems
High
Biodiversity
________________
ecosystem
Low
Biodiversity
_______________
ecosystem
4. Examples
Scenario: A particular ecosystem has many organisms that live there, but there are only 5
different species.
1. Is there is high or low biodiversity?
2. Do you think the ecosystem is stable?
3. What would happen if there was a drought?
20
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #8 – Stable and Unstable
1. A disease spreads through an ecosystem. In which type of ecosystem is it most likely that at least
some individuals will survive in the presence of the disease?
2. Ecosystem A has a wide variety of plants and animals. Ecosystem B does not have a variety of
species. Which ecosystem is more stable? Why?
3. The rainforest has thousands of different plants and animals that live in just one tree. If the
climate changes, do you think that some individuals will survive? Why or why not?
4. A puddle only has 2 species that live in it – worms and slugs. If the puddle dries up, do you think
that some individuals will survive? Why or why not?
5. Coral reefs can sustain thousands of different kinds of species. If the water temperature
increases, do you think some species will survive?
Homework #8 – Stable and Unstable
Directions: Indicate whether each of the below ecosystems is stable or unstable
1. Low
biodiversity:_____________________________________________________________________
________________
2. High
biodiversity:_____________________________________________________________________
_______________
21
3. A variety of different
species:________________________________________________________________________
4. The tundra (very cold, frozen ground, many species can’t
survive):______________________________
5. The rainforest (variety of
species):__________________________________________________________________
Amazon Rainforest Animals
Most of the world's rainforests are located in Central and South America, West
and Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. They are very
wet areas near the equator that give true meaning to the
expression "world of abundance", an expression that
reflects on the variety of rainforest animals. Brazil holds
30% of all tropical rainforests that remain on Earth, and
they are represented by Amazonia.
The Amazon rainforest animals are part of a big
ecosystem sustained by an incredible amount of trees
and other plants. Almost every inch is covered with vegetation. Amazonia has 427
species of mammals, 1294 species of birds, 378 of reptiles, 427 amphibians, and
3,000 fish. Among the mammals we can find the jaguar, an incredibly agile animal
with a powerful bite, giant otters, the pink dolphin, also called "boto" by the
natives, which is one of the three species of dolphins on Earth that live on
freshwater, sloths (large and slow moving animals), armadillos, the peculiar
tamandua, or anteater, tapirs, which are active mostly at night, manatees - the
Amazon species is exclusively vegetarian and also one of the three manatee species
in the world, etc. However, the majority of mammals are rodents and bats.
Among the birds, there is the harpy eagle, a great hunter that eats
practically all species of mammals found in the Amazon rainforest, even monkeys.
Other examples are the toucan, a colorful bird that is the symbol of Amazonia, the
hoatzin, a unique bird with a small head and a long neck, hummingbirds, which are
quite small and very hyperactive, and many other colorful, pretty birds. Among the
reptiles, we can find the famous boa, which has a unique way of killing their prey:
they wrap around the prey suffocating it and crashing its bones in order to be able
to swallow it as a whole. Crocodiles, alligators, and turtles are also present in the
rainforest.
The amphibians are mainly toads, frogs, and tree frogs. For example, the dart
poison frog and the giant cane toad, which has got a strong poison that is enough
to kill small animals. Among the fish, there is the famous red piranha, a carnivore
fish that is known for its voracious appetite, the feared electric eel, and the
22
Pirarucu, which is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. This amazing fish
can weigh up to 150 kg.
These are the most famous rainforest animals in Amazonia, but, crawling
around, there are an immense amount of insects. You can find cockroaches as big
as the palm of your hand, Rhinoceros beetles and their peculiar horn, Morpho
butterflies with their astonishing deep blue wings, and also termites and ants, such
as the leaf-cutter ant with its massive, strong jaw. No matter where you look, you
will find enchanting and interesting species. After all, that is what rainforests
represent: a universe of blooming life.
Name:________________________________
Practice #9 – Amazon rainforest animals
Per:______
Main Idea:
Supporting
Detail:
Supporting
23
Detail:
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #2 – Evolution controversy
Evolution Survey
Instructions: Choose whether each statement is true or
false, in terms of how you think biologists use and
understand the term evolution today. You do NOT have
to agree with the statement for it to be “true” as you think
biologists see it.
1. Evolution is a scientific fact
2. Evolution is something you should either believe in,
or not believe in
3. Evolution is a process that involved the origin of life
Supporting
Detail:
4. Evolution is primarily concerned with the origin of
humans
5. According to evolution, people came from monkeys
a long time ago
6. Evolution was first proposed and explained by
Charles Darwin
7. Evolution is something that happened in the past and
is not happening now
8. Evolution can be compatible with all the world’s major religions
9. Evolution is only a theory
10. There is little evidence for evolution
Main Idea:
11. Evolution theory has been tested many times, and has always been supported by the
evidence
12. Evolution is a totally random process, or a series of “accidents”
Homework #2 – Evolution controversy
24
1. Are there any other issues you can think of that are similar to evolution (they are
controversial)?
2. Explain what the word “controversial” means in your own words.
What is Evolution?
4. Vocabulary:
a. Evolution: A change in species over time
5. What is evolution?
Theory that has
been tested many
times
Change over time
Mutations are
passed down to
offspring
Evolution
Evolution occurs over
thousands of years
Beneficial mutations
are passed down
25
6. Key Ideas of evolution
a. Fitness: An organisms ability to produce more offspring relative to other members
of its population
b. Adaptation: Feature that allows organisms to better survive in their environment
i. Takes millions of years!
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #3 – What is evolution?
Adaptations:
 Sharp claws
Directions: Choose the best adaptation
for each of the animals listed below.
1. Mole
 Thick fur
 Camouflage
Adaptation:________________________
 Strong beak
2. Wolf
Adaptation:________________________
3. Frog:
Adaptation:________________________
4. Hummingbird:
Adaptation:________________________
Homework #3 – What is evolution?
1. What is evolution?
26
2. Why do adaptations occur?
3. How long do adaptations take?
4. What is “fitness”?
5. Why do mutations make organisms different from one another?
Fitness
1. Vocabulary:
a. Fitness: Measure of an organisms ability to survive and reproduce offspring
2. What is it:
a. Within a population, certain individuals are more likely to survive and
reproduce. This is called fitness.
b. WHY?
i. Adaptations
1. Examples:
a. Bright colors: Help attract a mate
b. Long neck: Help them get food others can’t
c. Camouflage: Help them hide from predators
d. Thick fur: Help them stay warm
Good Adaptations
27
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #4 – Fitness
Fitness
More likely to survive and reproduce
Directions: Choose which of the following will survive and reproduce (fitness)
1. In a warm environment, dogs that have:
a. Thick fur
b. No fur
c. White fur
2. A frog that rests on dark green leaves:
a. Bright blue skin
b. Rough skin
c. Dark green skin
3. A bird that eats hard-shelled nuts:
a. Strong beak
b. Short beak
c. Brown beak
4. In a snowy area, a wolf that has:
a. Black fur
b. White fur
c. Brown fur
5. In an area where mice are the main food source, a cat that has:
a. A thick tail
b. Shiny fur
c. Sharp claws
Homework #4 – Fitness
Directions: Write one paragraph explaining what fitness is and what helps species have more fitness
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
28
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
Charles Darwin
1. Vocabulary:
a. Variation: A change in species over time
2. Who is Charles Darwin?
a. The father of evolution!
b. 1831: Hired to go on a voyage on the HMS Beagle to study the land and its
inhabitants
c. Studied the plants and animals in his travels
29
3. Where did he go?
4. What did he observe?
Variation:
o
Adaptation:
Difference in physical traits
o
o Variations between the islands
o Especially in the Galapagos
Islands!
Feature that allows an organism
to better survive in its
environment
o EXAMPLE: Turtles with long
necks live in area with tall plants
o
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #5 – CHARLES DARWIN
father
evolution
change
adaptation
Beagle
Galapagos
variation
environment
South America
Directions: Use the word bank above to fill in the blank space
30
1. _____________________________ is differences in physical traits
2. Darwin sailed around the world on the HMS _____________________________________
3. Darwin studied the variation of organisms on the ______________________________ islands
4. Darwin is considered to be the __________________________________ of evolution
5. A long neck to eat tall plants is considered an _________________________________________
6. Adaptations allow organisms to better survive in their
________________________________________
7. The Galapagos Islands are located off the coast of ___________________
____________________________
8. A change is species over time is called
____________________________________________________
Homework #5 – Charles Darwin
Darwin saw the following variations in
finches amongst the Galapagos Islands.
Some finches had thick beaks and others had
thin beaks, depending on their diet.
Using the picture to the left, choose which
bird would eat the following diets:
1. Soft berries:____________________________
2. Thick nuts:______________________________
3. Grass:____________________________________
4. Seeds:____________________________________
5. BONUS: WHY DID DARWIN OBSERVE VARIATIONS AMONG ISLAND SPECIES?
Charles Darwin: The Origin of Species
Few people have changed the world with the power of an idea. Charles Darwin, the British
naturalist who lived during the 1800s, was one of them. Darwin’s legendary book, On the Origin
of Species by Means of Natural Selection; or, the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle
for Life, is frequently listed as one of the greatest books ever written. The three critical ideas he
developed in it are:
31



The fact that evolution occurs.
The theory of natural selection is the driving force or mechanism behind the process
of evolution.
The concept of phylogeny, that all forms of life are related to one another
genealogically, through their pedigree or "family's roots." (common ancestry)
Darwin began developing these ideas as a result of his experiences during a five-year voyage on
the British survey vessel H.M.S. Beagle, which sailed around the world on a mapping expedition
during the early 1830s. Darwin was on board to work as the ship's naturalist, to record
information about the geology, sea life, land animals and plants, and people that the Beagle would
discover. When he set sail in 1831, Darwin was twenty-two years old, fresh out of college,
fascinated with science, and deeply interested in geology and natural history. He was planning to
become a clergyman, partly because he thought it would allow him enough free time to pursue his
other interests.
As the mid-1800s approached, the idea of evolution posed a serious challenge to the then-popular
view that species were unchanging fixtures of nature. This concept, called the Fixity of Species,
was a perspective that European zoologists and botanists adopted as part of their culture, to reflect
Western religion and the story of creation as laid out in the Bible. A key feature of the scientific
argument for "fixity" was the notion that the structure of each species was based on a model, ideal
form.
Darwin allowed himself to wonder if species were fixed or
prone to evolution. With the intense experience of five years
of living and working on the Beagle, collecting and
describing a vast number and variety of natural history
specimens, he developed into a first-rate naturalist –
actually, the best in the world. He came to see species
differently than those who saw perfection in them. Darwin
did not focus on the sameness of individuals; rather, he
thought it was important that individuals, like you and I,
vary in spite of the fact that we belong to the same species.
He realized that the variations could become the raw
material for evolutionary change.
One of the clues that moved Darwin to totally accept the principle of evolution involved a group
of small birds called mockingbirds. Mockingbirds are unspectacular animals with a wingspan of
about 10 inches. They live in many habitats in North, Central, and South America, from southern
Canada to Chile and Argentina. Darwin observed and collected them on the Galapagos, a cluster
of small islands off the coast of Ecuador, and sent his specimens back to London for study. After
the voyage, Darwin was surprised to le arn that he had misclassified some of the birds because it
was difficult for him to tell the species apart from the subspecies. The physical traits of
mockingbird species and subspecies blended into one another. For Darwin, this meant that the
32
guidelines he had been trained to use to identify and classify animal and plant species, based on
the idea that each one ought to have an idealized "perfect" form - Fixity of Species - was an
arbitrary rule created by some scientists, nothing more than an untested assumption. It logically
followed that if species were not designed to be a series of perfect individual replicates,
evolutionary change - or "transmutation" of one species into another - was a possibility.
A second clue that led Darwin to embrace evolution had to do with fossils. Fossils are formed
when an organism dies and its remains become hardened by absorbing minerals from the earth in
which they were buried. Thus, fossils are direct evidence of life in the past and they have great
importance when considering a time-dependent concept such as evolution. In Argentina, Darwin
collected fossils of gigantic armor-plated beasts, megatheres, which were unlike anything else
anywhere in the world – nearly. Only the tank-like armadillos, which Darwin had also seen in
South America, bore any resemblance to them. Considering these extinct and living forms
together, Darwin theorized that megatheres and armadillos might be related. He thought they
might be part of a large group of South American mammals that had evolved body armor as a
protective adaptation. He speculated that an ancient "cousin" of the megatheres might have been
the ancestor of the armadillo.
Darwin collected pieces of the evolutionary puzzle during his five years of sailing on the Beagle,
but to solve the puzzle by putting the pieces together into a basic model for the public to see
would take him several more decades of effort. His work was capped by publication of Origins in
1859, more than twenty years after he began his voyage on the Beagle. Origins was immediately
recognized as a major scientific success. In one of the quirkiest episodes in the history of science,
this happened to be the second time that Darwin published his explanation of evolution.
Some people were less than happy with the book’s publication. Since its central idea was that
evolution is an ever-present, unstoppable, fundamental law of nature, Origins became an angry
flashpoint for those who cared less about the biological history of animals and plants than they
cared about the deeper implications of the really big idea it represented – that in the middle 1800s
there were new, logically sound, evidence-based ways of looking at life that challenged the
religious ways of thinking that had been broadly accepted for centuries. Darwin knew that
evolution was one of the most important ideas for the human species to comprehend. He knew
that seeing us from an evolutionary perspective was more than peering through a telescope to
look back at our own primitive origins. Evolution was also a mirror and a microscope for looking
at ourselves as we are today.
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34
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Mutations, Evolution, Fitness & Darwin
Practice #6 – Mutation, evolution, fitness & Darwin
Mutation
Adaptation
Creationism
Population
Point mutation
Fitness
Controversy
Darwin
Frameshift mutation
Variation
Species
Evolution
Directions: Choose 10 of the terms above and define them below
TERM
DEFINTION
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Evidence for
Evolution
1. Vocabulary:
a. Fossil: Trace of an organism from the past
b. Geography: The study of physical features of the earth
c. Embryology: Branch of biology concerned with the study of embryos (fertilized
cells)
d. Anatomy: The study of the body
2. What was darwin’s evidence?
1. Fossils:
o Showed that organisms changed over time
o Found that older organisms are found on the bottom of rock
2. Geography:
Darwin saw that island plants and animals looked alike,
but were not identical to species on South America
o Thought that different environments favored different traits
o Over time, new traits became established on the islands
o
3. Embryology:
o Study of embryos and development
o Found that embryos of different species were similar
o EXAMPLE: The gills of fish were the ears of bird, reptile, and mammals
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4. Anatomy:
o Compared body parts of different species
o Homologous structures:
o Similar in structure, used for different things
o Analogous structures:
o Used for same thing, looks different
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #7 – Evidence for evolution
Directions: Use the vocabulary in the word bank above to answer the following questions in complete sentences
Homologous structure
Fossils
Organisms
Analogous structure
Geography
Fish gills
Anatomy
Embryology
Variation
1. What are the four sources for evolution, as observed by Darwin?
2. Why did Darwin think that the finches looked different on the various islands?
3. How did fossils provide evidence for evolution?
4. What is embryology?
5. When studying anatomy, Darwin found homologous structures. What are homologous
structures?
6. How did geography provide evidence for evolution?
7. Give one example of how embryology showed evidence for evolution
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Homework #6 – Evidence for evolution
Directions: Match each piece of evidence for evolution to its description
1. Anatomy
a. Darwin saw that island plants and animals looked alike, but
were slightly different
2. Geography
b. Darwin saw that embryos of different species were similar
3. Embryology
c. Traces of organisms from the past showed that they change
over time
4. Fossils
d. Studying the bodies of different species showed that they
have similar structures, even if used for different things
Real Life Evidence
1. Evidence of Whale Evolution: (pg. 318 Biology Book)
a. Fossils provide evidence that whales came from hoofed mammals
b. Transitional fossils show characteristics of both land mammals and whales
2. Actual fossils
3. What the fossils showed
a. Fossils showed that whales came from mammals millions of years ago
b. Based off the fossils, scientists predicted the various species in between
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4. The Fossils
a. Dorudun:
40 million years ago
i. Hind legs useless on land
ii. Shorter neck and longer tails = similar to today’s whales
b. Ambulocetus: 50 million years ago
i. “Walking whale that swims”
ii. Forearms had fingers and small hoofs
iii. Feet were for swimming
c. Elomeryx: 52 million years ago
i. Whale shaped skull
ii. Teeth for hunting fish
iii. Ear bones in between land and aquatic mammals
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #8 – Real life evidence
Directions: Use the Venn Diagram below to compare and contrast the Dorudon fossil with the Elomeryx
fossil
homework #8 – Real life evidence
Directions: Using the diagrams on the previous page, answer the following questions
39
1. Fossils showed that whales evolved from
a. lizards
b. land mammals
c. birds
2. Whales came from mammals
a. hundreds of years ago
b. thousands of years ago
c. millions of years ago
3. The dorudon fossils had
a. No hind legs
b. Hind legs that were useless on land
c. Powerful hind legs for land running
4. The Abulocetus fossil had
a. Forearms with fingers
b. No forearms
c. Forearms without fingers
5. The Elomeryx fossil had
a. Teeth for fish eating
b. Teeth for hunting
c. Teeth for berry eating
Theory of Natural Selection
1. Vocabulary:
a. Natural Selection: Process in which individuals that have inherited beneficial traits
produce more offspring than do other individuals
b. Beneficial: Good, helpful
c. Population: All the individuals of a species that live in an area
d. Species: A group of organisms so similar to each other that they can breed and
produce fertile offspring
e. Fertile: Able to produce offspring
2. Darwin’s theory of natural selection
1. Organisms reproduce
with each other
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5. The good variation will
be more common and
over time new species will
be made!
2. In most species, only a
small percentage will
SURVIVE to reproduce
Natural
Selection
4. Whether an individual
3. There are variations in
will survive in their individuals in a
environment depends
population,
on
and these
how well adapted they
traits
are can be passed on
Better adapted = more
“fitness” = more likely to
survive and reproduce!
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #9 – Natural selection
Species
Fertile
Natural Selection
Population
Variation
Darwin
Beneficial
Common
Adaptation
Directions: Use the word bank above to fill in the blank space
1. A ___________________________ adaptation is one that will help an organism survive and reproduce
2. _________________________came up with the theory of natural selection
3. A _______________________________ is a group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile
offspring
4. An ______________________________________ is a feature that allows an organism to better survive in its
environment
5. The ability to produce offspring is called being __________________________________
6. The process in which individuals that have inherited beneficial traits produce more offspring
than do other individuals is called _______________________________ _____________________________________
7. The differences among individuals in a species is called ________________________________________
41
8. Good adaptations among individuals in a population will eventually be the most
_______________________________________
9. A _______________________________________ is all the individuals of a species that live in an area
homework #9 – Natural selection
Directions: For each of the following organisms, circle the adaptation that you think would
become the most common over time
5. Fish
a.
b.
c.
6. Frog
a.
b.
c.
7. Duck
a.
b.
c.
8. Wolf
a.
b.
c.
Fast swimmer
Long tail
Big eyes
Short tongue
Loud “ribbet”
Camouflaged skin
Big bill
Webbed feet
Dull feathers
Short nails
Friendly personality
Thick coat
1. Polar Bear
a. Skinny
b. White coat
c. Tired
2. Mole
a. Short tongue
b. Good hearing
c. Sharp claws
3. Dog
a. Good hearing
b. Short legs
c. Black coat
4. Eagle
a. Soft feathers
b. Sharp talons
c. White head
Natural Selection PRACTICE
Directions: Reading the following situations and identify the key concepts of Darwin’s theory of
natural selection
There are 3 types of polar bears: ones with thick coats, ones with thin coats, and ones with medium
coats. It is fall, soon to be winter. The temperatures are dropping rapidly and the bears must be kept
warm, otherwise they will freeze to death. Many of the bears have had 2 cubs each, but due to the
extreme temperatures, many mothers only have one cub left.
1. Which type of polar bear will not benefit from natural selection?
2. What are the variations within the polar bear population?
3. Which type of polar bear is the most fit in their environment?
4. Predict how the gene pool will change over time
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5. How will natural selection work on the polar bear population?
6. Identify the following in the polar bear population:
a. Beneficial adaptation:___________________________________________
b. Negative adaptation:____________________________________________
c. Species:___________________________________________________________
d. Population:_______________________________________________________
What is natural selection?
Directions: Write one paragraph explaining what natural selection is in your own words
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
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Genetic
Variation
1. Vocabulary:
a. Variation: The heritable difference that exist in every population
Natural selection acts on genetic variation!
2. What causes variation?
MUTATIONS!
3. Why does variation matter?
a. Variation means there are differences within a population
b. Beneficial variation = more likely to survive and reproduce
c. Variations create beneficial adaptations over time
4. Adaptations
Picture
Description of adaptation
Why variation is beneficial
Cheetah that has extra long
legs that make it run faster
than average
The giraffe’s extra long neck
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Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice & Homework #10 – Genetic Variation
Directions: Answer the following questions in FULL SENTENCES, using your own words
1. Would evolution happen if there was no genetic variation?
2. What causes genetic variation?
3. Explain what a beneficial variation is
4. What does natural selection act upon?
5. Give one example of a beneficial adaptation in wolves
6. Which individuals in a species will survive and reproduce?
7. What is the vocabulary word for the ability of an organism to produce more offspring
relative to other members of its population?
8. What is an adaptation?
45
9. Explain natural selection
10. Why is variation within a population important?
Why Does the Cheetah Lack Variation?
The cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, is the sole member of its genus.
About 10,000 years ago - because of climate changes - all but one
species of the cheetah, jubatus, became extinct. With the drastic
reduction in their numbers, close relatives were forced to breed,
and the cheetah became genetically inbred. This has caused genetic
issues that today greatly add to the threat to their survival.
The study of biological inheritance is called "genetic research."
Genes, which are composed of DNA, store the information that an
individual inherits from his or her parents. Genes in one animal
vary from the same genes in another animal of the same species.
By looking at the amount of variation existing in genes, scientists,
called "geneticists" can begin to understand the relationships of animals within population, and how infectious
diseases may affect that population. Also, by comparing the amount of variation between different species,
geneticists can help us understand the evolutionary process.
When geneticists looked at the amount of variation within the genes of the cheetah, they found that cheetahs exhibit
much lower levels of variation than other mammals. In most species, related individuals share about 80 percent of
the same genes. With cheetahs, this figure rises to approximately 99 percent.
The genetic inbreeding in cheetahs has led to low survivorship (a large number of animals dying), poor sperm
quality, and greater susceptibility to disease. Inbred animals suffer from a lack of genetic diversity. This means
cheetahs lack the ability to adjust to sudden changes in the environment, such as disease epidemics, and have
unusually high susceptibility to certain viruses. For example, if a virus gets into a healthy population of lions, not
every animal dies; just some do, because lions are genetically diverse. But if every animal is genetically the same,
like the cheetah, and one gets infected, all of them may become infected and die off. Because of their lack of
genetic diversity, a deadly virus could wipe out all of the worlds' wild cheetahs instead of just the susceptible
animals. It depends on a species' genetic differences.
Evolution eliminates traits in organisms that are least suited for survival. Some of the decline in the cheetah's
genetic diversity is accounted for by its specialization through natural selection. The decrease in genetic diversity
resulting from natural selection has benefited the species' survival as it has made the cheetah better adapted to its
environment. However, the effects of this occurrence are small when compared to the effects of the inbreeding that
occurred 10,000 years ago from a population bottleneck.
To increase genetic diversity in captivity, zoos take great care to make sure that only unrelated animals mate.
Scientists are working on ways to enhance breeding through artificial insemination, and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Because of genetic inbreeding, male cheetahs have poor sperm quality. Abnormal sperm cannot swim properly,
reducing the chance of fertilizing eggs and producing offspring. Artificial insemination (A-I) is a laboratory
technique wherein scientists place sperm in the reproductive tract of a female. This means the sperm have less
distance to swim before reaching the eggs. Mating between male and female animals does not take place. Artificial
46
insemination has produced cheetah cubs in the United States. Using these technologies, A-I and IVF, semen, and
eggs can be collected from wild Namibian Cheetahs for use in captive breeding programs. Because Namibia has the
largest population of cheetahs, the genes represented in this population are important to captive cheetah survival
worldwide.
Main Idea:
Supporting
Detail:
Supporting
Detail:
Supporting
Detail:
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Speciation
1. Vocabulary:
a. Speciation: The rise of two or more species from one existing species
b. Reproductive isolation: Members of populations can no longer mate successfully
c. Behavioral isolation: Isolation caused by differences in courtship or mating behaviors
d. Geographic isolation: Physical barriers that divide a population
e. Temporal isolation: Timing prevents reproduction between populations
2. Types of speciation
Speciation
Reproductive Isolation
Behavioral
Isolation
Geographic
Isolation
Temporal
Isolation
48
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #11 – Speciation
1. What are
the three ways that new species arise?
2. How does
mating
geographic isolation prevent species from
(reproductive isolation)
3. How does temporal isolation prevent species from mating (reproductive isolation)
4. How does behavioral isolation prevent species from mating (reproductive isolation)?
5. Explain in your own words how new species are formed
Homework #11 – Speciation
Behavioral isolation
Geographic isolation
Temporal isolation
Directions: Use the word bank above to indicated whether each of the following are examples of
behavioral, geographic, or temporal isolation
1. Mate at different times of the
year:___________________________________________________________________
2. Separated by a
river:___________________________________________________________________________
_______
3. Different mating
rituals:_________________________________________________________________________
_____
4. Populations separated on
islands:___________________________________________________________________
49
5. Populations of parrots mate at different times of the
day:_________________________________________
6. Populations of deer separated by
mountains:_______________________________________________________
7. Differences in courtship
songs:______________________________________________________________________
8. Populations of fish separated by
land:______________________________________________________________
9. Populations of peacocks with different mating
dances:____________________________________________
10. Population A mates in the Spring, Population B mates in the
Fall:________________________________
Summer Night Lights
by Genny Fannucchi
Lightning bugs....Have you ever wondered about the small,
blinking creatures that light up summer nights? Lightning bugs,
also called fireflies, are not simply bugs and are not flies. They
are beetles and part of a scientific family that contains the
largest order of living things—290,000 species at last count. In
fact, there are about 136 different species of fireflies
illuminating earth's summer nights.
Fireflies are easy to locate. Go outside at different times during
the evening and watch for small twinkling lights in the air. Good places to find fireflies are over
meadows or lawns and at the edge of woods or streams. Fireflies are carnivorous. They eat other
insects, small animals in the soil, and snails. Fireflies overwinter as larvae are buried in the soil and
emerge in the spring to feed. In summer, they pupate for about 2½ weeks within a small earthen
cell before emerging as adults. The adult fireflies signal each other with their lights and mate. The
female's eggs are laid a few days after mating, on or slightly under soil. The eggs hatch in 4 weeks.
The larvae, once hatched, begin to feed until fall. They burrow underground and overwinter.
The summer evening light shows that you see are performed by male fireflies. They flash patterns
of light to females. The females signal in response from perches in or near the ground. When the
male sees the female's flash he continues to signal and moves closer. Eventually, through a series
of flashes, they find each other and mate. Each species of firefly sends different mating signals.
In fact, a beetle specialist or a keen observer can recognize most species by the number, duration,
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and time lapses between flashes.
The male firefly of the species Photinus pyralis, beams a single half-flash during a forward rising
flight movement. It looks like the letter "J." The female responds with a single flash. Another
species, Photinus consumilis, signals his mate with a rapid succession of flashes. She responds with
two beams. In general, males will not fly down to a female that sends the wrong species signal. But,
some females of differing species have evolved the ability to mimic the response flashes of species
other than their own. As the male flies down to a mimicking female, he is captured and eaten, gulp!
The light given off by fireflies during their abdominal flashes is called bioluminescence. It happens
when oxygen and the organic compound luciferin react together in the presence of the enzyme,
lucifereace. This creates light. Although other insects can produce light, fireflies are the only
insects that can flash their light on and off in distinct signals. Even the eggs and larvae of some
firefly species glow. That's where the name "glow worm" comes from.
Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #12 – Summer Night lights
1. What type of speciation did the article talk about?
2. How were the mating rituals different in different species?
3. What did you learn from the article?
4. How does speciation happen over time?
5. Explain the connection between speciation and evolution
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Name:________________________________
Per:______
Practice #13 – Pre-TEST PRACTICE
1. What is the difference between a muat
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