THURSDAY!

Section 1 Vocab
Begin finch activity!
Reminder: corrections on quiz/animal projects due tomorrow
TURN IN your Evidence for Evolution packets!

First to publish about evolution

born

University; studied medicine, clergy

Travels aboard The Beagle, collecting samples, develops his
theory
Marries cousin Emma, has 10 children
Publishes On The Origin of Species

dies

English naturalist best known for

developing the theory of evolution
Statement supported by evidence, highly tested,
accepted by the scientific community as fact
Change over time through mutation, natural
selection, leads to different species

Individual best fit to environment will

survive, reproduce, pass on its genetics
Casual way of saying natural selection
Favorable mutation, helps survival
individuals of some species help family
members reproduce but dont reproduce
themselves, for the good of the hive

Researching Evolution: Rosemary

& Peter Grant

For more than 30 years, the Grants have gone to

the Galapagos Islands to measure finch beaks.
The Galapagos Islands are home to 13 species of
finches, and each species has a different beak.
The cactus finch has a long thin beak that works
well for crushing the cactus seeds found on the
island it inhabits. The woodpecker finch uses its
beak to dig out insects from dead wood

Darwin noticed these finches on his journey, and

after returning to England he truly started
wondering why there were so many kinds of
finches, and why they shared so many
similarities but were different in their beaks.
He knew that finches dont migrate, so he
deduced that they must have evolved on the
islands, which are different from each other just
as the finches are.
The size and shape of a birds beak determines
the kind of food the bird can and cant eat. A
slight difference may give one bird an advantage
over another in surviving and reproducing, and
the advantaged offspring will be more likely to
survive and reproduce. natural selection!

More than a hundred years after Darwins visit, the Grants traveled to the
Galapagos Islands to take a closer look at the finches.
They wondered: If they took careful measurements of the finches and the
foods they ate, could they see the changes that Darwin theorized?
They have now tracked medium ground finches on an island, Daphne Major,
for over 30 years, and their food sources too.
They have found variations among this one species, and in different years
have noticed different patterns of survival depending on changes in climate.
(dry years vs wet years)
In this simulation, youll discover for yourselves whether variations in beak
size can make a measureable difference in finch evolution and survival. In this
activity youll measure the beaks of medium ground finches, use a beak to
gather food, graph the finches and seeds, and see whether changes in the
environment can push finches towards a different beak.

SO

Maximum of 10 groups, 2-3 per group

1 packet per group - PUT YOUR NAMES ON YOUR PACKET
1 station per group
At the end of the day, make sure everything is in your station that came
with it. Designate one group member to keep track of your packet. Follow
the instructions to engage in evidence-gathering and thinking like an
evolutionary scientist.