Amy Johnson

Professor Schaefer
Anthropology 1020
19 September 2015
Lab Report
This lab report is on a class experiment based on Charles Darwins Theory of Natural Selection.
1. Title Theory of Natural Selection
2. Introduction
a. The underlying assumptions that Charles Darwin based his theory of natural
selection on was variation, inheritance and selection. His theory was based on his
travels around the world as he discovered different species of animals. At the
Galapagos Islands he found fourteen different species of finches that most likely
originated from one ancestral species from the mainland. Darwin initially thought
that each bird was an entirely different species. Due to the birds being of varying
weight, look, and beak size, which led him to believe that species may alter their
traits over time to adapt to the environment. (Cornwall).
Many biologists have learned about Darwins theory of natural selection and the
relation to the Galapagos finches. Biologists from Princeton University, B.
Rosemary and Peter Grant have been visiting the Galapagos Islands for over thirty
years to study evolution in regards to the Galapagos finches. The Grants and their
team measured, weighed and tagged the finches to study the finches life patterns,
their offsprings patterns and variances in beak size relative to the changes in
environment. (Grant).
The Grants study showed that evolution was indeed subject to the environment
and which these finches lived. The medium ground finch with their medium size
beak feed mostly on seeds. In 1977 the Galapagos Island Daphne Major
experienced a big drought that lasted for eight years. The food source for the
medium finch became scarce and several of the birds perished. (Grant).
The large ground finch was far luckier than the medium ground finch. The large
ground finch was able to crush bark and twigs with their larger robust beaks
thereby allowing more of the large ground finch to survive and produce offspring.
The Grants study shows that the generation after the 1977 drought had larger
beaks. Fast forward a few years. El Nino like weather hit the Islands causing a
great storm. The vegetation became vast and plentiful. The smaller seeds were
more abundant allowing more of the medium ground finch to survive and
reproduce. Thus the Grants found that the next generation had smaller beaks
again. They found that when the environment changed some variations in each
population would survive and others would die thereby supporting Charles
Darwins theory of natural selection. (Grant).

As a class we held a similar experiment with how many seeds could be consumed
by birds with varying beak sizes. This was accomplished by using ordinary
household items that could simulate different styles and sizes of beaks.
b. Darwins Theory of Natural Selection states that over time favorable variations
will increase in frequency within a population. Darwin stated that his theory has
the following underlying assumptions:
i. Natural biological variation exists in all species.
ii. Some variation is favorable, unfavorable or neutral.
iii. Variation is inherited and passed on to future generations.
iv. More offspring is produced than food is available leading to competition.
v. Individuals with favorable variation are more likely to survive and have
more offspring.
c. Hypothesis.
i. My hypothesis was that the tong styled beaks would have the most
offspring at the end of the fifth round and that the wooden skewer and
binder clip style beaks would be extinct by the end of the experiment.
ii. The reasoning behind my hypothesis was that the tongs had a larger
surface area than the wooden skewer at the tips to pick up the seeds and
longer handles making the tongs easier to hold than the binder clip. My
hypothesis was based purely on the shapes and style of the beaks.
3. Materials and Methods
a. The following materials were used as Finch beaks in the testing of this
hypothesis:
i. Tongs with plastic tips and metal tips.
ii. Wooden clothespins with a metal spring.
iii. Twelve inch wooden skewers.
iv. Slanted metal facial tweezers.
v. Plastic hair claws with a metal spring.
vi. Plastic chip clips with a flat grabbing edge and metal spring.
vii. Tiny metal binder clips.
viii. A small paper cup.
ix. Several sunflower seeds.
x. A piece of paper.
xi. A pencil.
b. Each student received a style of beak from the above list, a paper cup used as the
Finchs stomach, several sunflower seeds scattered across the desk, a piece of
paper and pencil for recording the results. The experiment began with a count of
each of the beaks provided to the students. The professor asked the students to
begin. The students frantically began grabbing one sunflower seed at a time with
their beak and placing it into their stomach (a small paper cup). The professor
called stop and each of the students counted the seeds in their stomach. The three
students with the most seeds were rewarded with offspring. The three students
with the least seeds became deceased. The bottom three students received the
same style of beak that the winning students had. This experiment was repeated

five times. At the end of the fifth round after the beaks were redistributed a final
beak count was taken.
4. Results
a. Experiment - Variance of Beaks
Style of
Beak

Beginning
Count

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Final
Round

Tongs

Clothespin

Wooden
Skewer

Tweezers

Hair Claws

Chip Clips

Binder Clips

Totals

33

33

33

33

33

33

b.
10
9
8
7
6

Tongs

Clothespins

Skewers

Tweezers

Hair Claws

Chip Clips

Binder Clips

c. For the beginning round each student was provided one beak which included
tongs, clothespins, wooden skewers, tweezers, hair claws, chip clips, or a binder
clip. A total of thirty-three beaks were provided. After the first round one tong,
one clothespin, and one tweezer won the round by consuming the most seeds.
Three students with wooden skewers had the least seeds and lost their offspring.
The winning three students were congratulated and given one offspring. The three
students with the lowest consumption had perished. Those students became the
offspring and now became a tong, clothespin and tweezer respectively.
The second round began, at the end of the second round a tong, clothespin and
tweezer won again. But this time one clothespin, skewer and binder clip lost
thereby perishing. The tong and tweezer created another offspring and clothespin
remained the same. The third round began, at the end of that round two tongs and
one clothespin survived and produced offspring. One tweezer and two chip clips
perished. The fourth round began, at the end one tong and two clothespins won
and created offspring. However two tongs and one binder clip perished.
The fifth and final round began, at the end of the experiment one tong, clothespin
and hair claw won. A clothespin, a tweezer and a hair claw perished. The final
count was nine tongs, nine clothespins, one wooden skewer, five tweezers, five
hair claws, three chip clips, and one binder clip.
5. Conclusion
a. My hypothesis about the tongs was supported, however it was refuted in regards
to the binder clips and skewers.
b. The hypothesis about the tongs having the most offspring in the end was
supported with having nine beaks at the end of the experiment. The tongs tied
with the clothespins but both had nine, thereby supporting that portion of my
hypothesis. The binder clips and skewers both ended up with one beak therefore
refuting my hypothesis of extinction.
c. It is entirely possible that a counting error of seeds in each stomach may have
occurred causing the results to be inaccurate depending on which count was off. If
the counts were off for the skewer or binder clip that may have possibly caused
extinction for one of these beak types. It is also possible that a participant may
have let their ego get in the way wanting to win or not lose at all costs and gave
incorrect numbers.
d. Replication of this experiment would help validate this experiment by allowing
other researchers to collect new data to support or refute the hypothesis. This
experiment would succeed with validation by collecting data from new
researchers multiple times to help lessen the chance of error.
6. Discussion
a. The scientific method is an approach to research where a problem is identified, a
hypothesis is stated, and that hypothesis is tested by collecting and analyzing data.
The hypothesis is then verified, modified or discarded. Every field in science uses
the scientific method to test hypothesis whether it be biologists collecting and
analyzing data on the Galapagos finches or neuroscientists testing if a brain

aneurysm is hereditary. Each scientific field uses the scientific method in their
research.
b. This activity used the scientific method by stating the hypothesis prior to the
experiment beginning. Data was then collected and analyzed to verify or refute
the hypothesis.
c. The theory of evolution is that over time, favorable variations will increase in
frequency within a population. The underlying assumptions are:
i. Natural biological variation exists in all species.
ii. Some variation is favorable, unfavorable or neutral.
iii. Variation is inherited and passed on to future generations.
iv. More offspring is produced than food is available leading to competition.
v. Individuals with favorable variation are more likely to survive and have
more offspring.
d. This activity simulated the theory of evolution by natural selection by confirming
Darwins underlying assumptions. The tong and clothespins beaks had a much
easier time consuming these sunflower seeds their by reproducing and having
offspring. The wooden skewer and binder clip style beaks were ill suited for
picking up and consuming the sunflower side thereby dwindling in population.
e. One specific human example of evolution by natural selection is those who have
blood type O are more predisposed to cholera than those of other blood types. A
study was shown that those who had contracted cholera were twice as likely to
have blood type O and one-ninth as likely to have type AB blood. A follow up
study of familial contacts of those cholera patients was done. They found that an
individuals risk of contracting the disease was not prevalent as much as the
severity of the disease was higher. However, the selective pressure of cholera
affecting those with blood type O may account in part for the extremely low
prevalence of blood type O genes found among the people living in the Gangetic
Delta. (Glass).
7. References
a. Cornwall, Warren. DNA Reveals How Darwins Finches Evolved. National
Geographic. National Geographic Society, 11 Feb. 2015. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
b. Glass, Roger I., Jan Holmgren, Charles E. Haley, M.R. Khan, Annemari
Svennerholm, Barbara J. Stoll, K.M. Belayet Hossain, Robert E. Black, M. Yunus,
and Dhiman Barua. Predisposition for Cholera of Individuals with O Blood Group
Possible Evolutionary Significance. American Journal of Epidemiology 121.6
(1984): 791-96. Oxford Journals. 19 June 1984. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.
c. Grant, B. Rosemary, and Peter R. Grant. What Darwins Finches Can Teach Us
about the Evolutionary Origin and Regulation of Biodiversity. What Darwins
Finches Can Teach Us about the Evolutionary Origin and Regulation of Biodiversity
53.10 (2003):965-975. BioScience. Oxford Journals, Oct. 2003. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
d. Truth in Science. Darwins Finches. Truth In Science, 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.