Evolution Scenarios

1. Over a period of 10 months, the size of the seeds on an island changed from very small seeds to very large seeds. There were two different types of birds on the island: one had a very large beak and one had a very small beak. a. Which bird or birds would have been able to eat the small seeds the best?

b. Which bird or birds would have been able to eat the larger seeds the best?

c. Which bird would have the higher fitness level due to the larger seeds?

d. Which birds would have a higher chance of survival?

2. There are 2 types of giraffes that live in different parts of Africa. One type of giraffe has a very short neck and one type has a very long neck. The one with the long neck lives where the vegetation is very tall.

a. Why would the short neck giraffe have a shorter neck than the other giraffe?

b. What would happen if you moved the short neck giraffe to where the long neck giraffe lives? Would it survive?

c. After the move, which giraffe would have a higher fitness?

d. Which giraffe would eventually die out?

3. Create an animal and a plant (on a separate sheet of paper) that would most likely be present in the following environment: Food on the ground is very small pieces, the other food is way up in the trees, there is very little sunlight and it rains a lot, there is not a lot of space between the trees (ex. an elephant cannot fit between them). a. How is your organism better suited for this environment than other organisms?

b. Does it have a higher fitness than other organisms?

4. There are 2 types of elephants that live on the plains in Africa. One type is furry and the other type is not. The furry one can live out in the open without any shade trees and not get sunburned. The non-furry one has to live where there are trees.

a. What would happen if you moved the non-furry one into an area where there are no trees?

b. Over time, do you think those elephants would evolve to have furry skin? Would it be instantaneous?

c. Which elephant would have a higher fitness in the sun, the one with fur or the one without? Why?

5. There are 2 insects living in a forest. One insect is bright red and the other is a camouflaged color of brown and green.

a. Which insect is going to have a higher survival rate?

b. Which insect will have a higher fitness?

c. What if you moved both insects to the desert with red sand. Which insect will survive better then, the red one or the camouflaged one?

d. In the desert, which insect will have a higher fitness?