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Evolution Station Worksheet

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Evolution Station Worksheet

Read the field notes, inspect the visuals and data, then solve the station challenges. Evolution is a change in inherited traits in a population across generations. Individuals do not evolve during their lifetimes; populations change over time.

Field Notes: Finches on the Islands

On islands in the Galápagos, finches vary in inherited beak traits. Some have short, strong beaks; others have longer, narrower beaks. During a drought, small soft seeds become scarce while larger, harder seeds remain. Finches with beaks that can crack the hard seeds are more likely to get enough food, survive, and reproduce. Their offspring may inherit similar beaks. Over many generations, the frequency of beak traits in the population can change. Mutations—random changes in DNA—can introduce new inherited variation. The environment does not create a useful trait because an animal needs it; instead, individuals with helpful inherited variations may leave more offspring.

1.From the field notes, name one inherited trait that varies among the finches.

2.During the drought in the field notes, which food remained more available?

Small, soft seeds
Large, hard seeds
No seeds of any kind

3.Explain why a short, strong beak could help a finch during the drought described in the field notes.

4.True or false: Finches grow a stronger beak during a drought simply because they need one, and then pass that acquired change to their offspring.

TrueFalse

5.Number these events from 1 to 4 to show a possible sequence of natural selection during the drought: ___ Finches with helpful beak variations leave more offspring. ___ A drought leaves mostly hard seeds. ___ The helpful beak trait becomes more common over generations. ___ Finches vary in inherited beak shape.

Background

Green beetles surviving

Brown beetles surviving

Leafy green

15 of 20

6 of 20

Brown soil

5 of 20

14 of 20

6.Use the beetle survival data. On leafy green, which color had more survivors, and what might explain the difference?

7.On brown soil, 14 of the 20 brown beetles survived. What percentage survived? Show or describe your calculation.

8.The beetle trials suggest camouflage can affect survival. Give one reason this classroom model alone cannot prove that beetle populations evolve in nature.

9.Fill in the blank: A mutation is a change in that can sometimes introduce a new inherited variation.

10.After many generations of droughts, the average beak strength in a finch population increases. Explain how natural selection could produce this population-level change without individual finches changing their beaks during life.