5F Evolution of Life #1 Individuals of the same kind differ in their characteristics, and sometimes the differences give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing....

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Description

This interactive tool is based on the classic story of evolution by natural selection—the story of the peppered moths in England during the Industrial Revolution. Although scientists have recently determined that this story is flawed and needs revisited, it still provides ideas necessary to help students understand related concepts.

In this activity, there are green and orange bugs (analogous to the moths in England) that live in green leafy trees. As in real life, birds eat these bugs—usually the ones they can see the best. Located close to the bugs is a factory that spews out pollution that turns the trees orange. This affects how well the birds can see the different colored bugs, thereby impacting the survival of the bugs.

In this activity, students can manipulate the level of pollution emitted by the factory (i.e., the background color of the screen) and observe the effects on the different colored bugs, moving them toward a better understanding of evolution by natural selection.

• Animal Adaptations 3-5 Lesson
• Bird Beaks 3-5 Lesson
• Introduction to Natural Selection 9-12 Lesson

Created :09/18/2002