Darwin's Finches 10/8/17
Image:
Summary:
What is natural selection? Do the strong survive and the weak die? Not necessarily. Natural Selection is when organisms who are better adapted to their environment outlive those who aren't and have a chance to pass down their genes, which is the ultimate goal for all living creatures. Out of the five fingers of evolution, natural selection is the only "finger" that can cause adaptations. You've probably heard that organisms, most commonly dogs, are bred. Humans pick and choose which dogs can mate and with whom to determine the outcome. This case is true for natural selection, except for the fact that there is no dog breeder causing evolution. Evolution acts on nature. The idea of natural selection was first proposed by Charles Darwin, who stated that nature could determine which organisms survive and which don't. He traveled on the HMS Beagle that departed for the Galapagos Islands on 12/27/1831. While on the Galapagos, he noticed that finches within a close vicinity had similar features, although the had some distinct differences, such as beak shape. Finches in different environments adapted to have a type of beak that suits their specific environmental factors, he thought. Thus, began Darwin's idea of Natural Selection.
S&EP-Using Models:
The finches Darwin studied had traits that set them apart, like the shape and type of beak they had. To represent how contrasting beaks could help a bird or harm them, depending on the environment the inhabited, we used a model. Each person in the group had a different tool to represent a type of beak and had to pick up as much food as they could in 1 minute. Some tools were better at certain things than others. For instance, the scissors were extremely good at "eating" worms (represented by rubber bands) so if the environment consisted of mostly worms the birds with that type of beak would survive. In another case, the toothpicks were terrible at picking up fish (marshmallows). They would have all died off if there were only fish in their environment. This model allowed me to see different type of selective pressure, apart from being eaten, because I could see how natural selection plays a role in acquiring food.
XCC-Patterns:
Around the 1850s, white peppered moths were very common. During the Industrial Revolution, trees in the forest were covered with soot so plants that were previously light became dark. At this point, the white peppered moths could be easily seen and eaten so the population decreased. As this happened, the population of black pepper moths increased because they now blended in. Approximately 50 years later, the white peppered moth began to make comeback due to highly reduced pollution. Since the trees went back to being lighter, the white peppered moths could live long enough to pass down the genes to their offspring. This story of the peppered moths is a perfect example of how an environment can determine who lives and dies and how natural selection can come into play. Natural Selection itself is a pattern that has occurred all throughout nature that forces a change in the gene pool and for animals to adapt. This pattern of Natural Selection has brought human's to where they are today, but could be applied to something as simple as a moth.
Multiplier:
This week I was mutant, to be more specific, a learner because I tried to grasp as much knowledge on natural selection as I possibly could.
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| Nat Geo Education Blog - National Geographic |
Summary:
What is natural selection? Do the strong survive and the weak die? Not necessarily. Natural Selection is when organisms who are better adapted to their environment outlive those who aren't and have a chance to pass down their genes, which is the ultimate goal for all living creatures. Out of the five fingers of evolution, natural selection is the only "finger" that can cause adaptations. You've probably heard that organisms, most commonly dogs, are bred. Humans pick and choose which dogs can mate and with whom to determine the outcome. This case is true for natural selection, except for the fact that there is no dog breeder causing evolution. Evolution acts on nature. The idea of natural selection was first proposed by Charles Darwin, who stated that nature could determine which organisms survive and which don't. He traveled on the HMS Beagle that departed for the Galapagos Islands on 12/27/1831. While on the Galapagos, he noticed that finches within a close vicinity had similar features, although the had some distinct differences, such as beak shape. Finches in different environments adapted to have a type of beak that suits their specific environmental factors, he thought. Thus, began Darwin's idea of Natural Selection.
S&EP-Using Models:
The finches Darwin studied had traits that set them apart, like the shape and type of beak they had. To represent how contrasting beaks could help a bird or harm them, depending on the environment the inhabited, we used a model. Each person in the group had a different tool to represent a type of beak and had to pick up as much food as they could in 1 minute. Some tools were better at certain things than others. For instance, the scissors were extremely good at "eating" worms (represented by rubber bands) so if the environment consisted of mostly worms the birds with that type of beak would survive. In another case, the toothpicks were terrible at picking up fish (marshmallows). They would have all died off if there were only fish in their environment. This model allowed me to see different type of selective pressure, apart from being eaten, because I could see how natural selection plays a role in acquiring food.
XCC-Patterns:
Around the 1850s, white peppered moths were very common. During the Industrial Revolution, trees in the forest were covered with soot so plants that were previously light became dark. At this point, the white peppered moths could be easily seen and eaten so the population decreased. As this happened, the population of black pepper moths increased because they now blended in. Approximately 50 years later, the white peppered moth began to make comeback due to highly reduced pollution. Since the trees went back to being lighter, the white peppered moths could live long enough to pass down the genes to their offspring. This story of the peppered moths is a perfect example of how an environment can determine who lives and dies and how natural selection can come into play. Natural Selection itself is a pattern that has occurred all throughout nature that forces a change in the gene pool and for animals to adapt. This pattern of Natural Selection has brought human's to where they are today, but could be applied to something as simple as a moth.
Multiplier:
This week I was mutant, to be more specific, a learner because I tried to grasp as much knowledge on natural selection as I possibly could.
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