67.11BC/.

12A Adaptation of Species Next Step Inquiry

Prior Knowledge
1. What is a trait?

2. What is a Variation?

3. What is an Adaptation?

Background
An adaptation is a genetic characteristic, either physical or behavioral, that allows organisms to survive and reproduce.
Adaptations occur to populations, not individual organisms. Natural selection is possible because of genetic variation
among individual organisms within a population. Over generations, traits that enhance survival of a species are selected
over those that do not. When all members of a population have the favorable trait, it is called an adaptation. Natural
selection has occurred to change virtually every species found on Earth.
Simulation:
A species of insect, known as spotted cactus beetles, Dokeinomorphus darwinii, was living in the arid regions of South
America when a female, about to lay her eggs, was blown to one of six small islands. The islands were close enough to
each other that eventually her descendants were living on all six islands. Initially, all the beetles on all the islands were
identical, but over time, due to different environments on the various islands, the population on each island began to adapt
to its particular conditions. Each group will be assigned one of the six islands. For the island of which you are in charge,
you must examine the conditions and determine the one factor that will best suit a beetle to the island. Every time your
group receives a new population of ten offspring, you will select only two, one male and one female, which best exhibit the
characteristic. If there is more than one of either sex that has the same characteristic, you can choose whichever you
wish. This simulation demonstrates natural selection in the resulting offspring after breeding six generations of beetles on
different islands. You will conduct an investigation to explain variation within a population or species by comparing external
features, behaviors, or physiology of organisms that enhance their survival and identify some changes in genetic traits that
have occurred over several generations.
Question of Inquiry:

Procedure
 Obtain a Generation 1 card for a parent male and a female beetle.

Create offspring beetles of Generation 2:

 Obtain a page of ten blank Beetle Offspring cards that contains five males and five females.
Write the number 2 in the Generation box for each offspring on the page. For the purposes of this simulation, parent males
determine the characteristics of male offspring beetles, and parent females determine the characteristics of female
offspring beetles

 Obtain a Variation in Offspring dice direction card.

Begin with the female parent and breed the first female offspring as follows: (1) Roll the die to get a number 1 through 6.
(2) Look up that number on the Variation in Offspring dice direction card. (3) Start with the body length of the female
parent and perform the operation as determined by the die roll (add to, subtract from, or don’t do anything to the body
length value of the female parent). (4) Record the body length for the first female offspring on the Beetle Offspring page.
(5) Follow the same procedure to obtain the first female offspring’s results for body width, mouthpart, spots, flight speed,
and click range. Repeat four more times to obtain the breeding results for five female offspring to complete and record all
breeding characteristics for the females of Generation 2 on the Beetle Offspring page.
Repeat the same procedure to obtain the breeding results for five male offspring, using the parent male beetle from
Generation 1.

Conditions of the Island:

 Obtain a description of the island where the beetles are breeding.

Read the island conditions. Analyze conditions on the island and decide on one single characteristic that most likely will
be selected for the beetles’ ability to survive and reproduce (either body length, body width, mouthpart, spots, flight speed,
or click range). Record the selected characteristic on the back of the Island Data Chart and explain why the characteristic
was selected by the group.
Survival of the fittest:
Now that the selective characteristic has been identified for the island conditions, return to the page of Generation 2
offspring. Select the fittest male and female from Generation 2 to become the parents of Generation 3. Circle the male and
female selected by the group. Cut out and keep the cards for the selected male and female beetles so they can become
the parents for Generation 3. Put the remaining offspring in the recycle bin as they were not fit enough to survive and
reproduce on the island.
Create offspring beetles for Generation 3:

 Obtain a page of ten blank Beetle Offspring cards that contains five males and five females.
Write the number 3 in the Generation box for each offspring on the page. For the purposes of this simulation, parent males
determine the characteristics of male offspring beetles, and parent females determine the characteristics of female
offspring beetles.
Begin with the female parent (from Generation 2) and breed the first female offspring as follows: (1) Roll the die to get a
number 1 through 6. (2) Look up that number on the Variation in Offspring dice direction card. (3) Start with the body
length of the female parent and perform the operation as determined by the die roll (add to, subtract from, or don’t do
anything to the body length value of the female parent). (4) Record the body length for the first female offspring on the
Beetle Offspring page. (5) Follow the same procedure to obtain the first female offspring’s results for body width,
mouthpart, spots, flight speed, and click range. Repeat four more times to obtain the breeding results for five female
offspring to complete and record all breeding characteristics for the females of Generation 3 on the Beetle Offspring page.
Repeat the same procedure to obtain the breeding results for five male Generation 3 offspring using the parent male
beetle from Generation 2.
Survival of the fittest:
After creating five male and five female Generation 3 offspring, as a group, analyze and select the fittest male and female
from Generation 3 to become the parents of Generation 4. Circle the male and female selected by the group. Cut out and
keep the cards for the selected male and female beetles so they can become the parents for Generation 4. Put the
remaining offspring in the recycle bin as they were not fit enough to survive and reproduce on the island.
Repeat the process for generations 4, 5, and 6, recording the characteristics of the selected parents out of each
generation in the Student Handout.
Share the breeding patterns on each island:

Transfer all the breeding characteristics from each set of parents, male and female, for all generations 1 through 6 to the
data chart for the island. One group member posts this completed data chart in the space provided by the teacher under
the description of the island. View the data and island descriptions for the other five islands in the class. Use the
descriptions to determine what each group used as a selection factor and decide if the selective pressure caused the
expected resulting characteristic.
 Analyze the Data:

1. Based on class data, which characteristics were favorable on Island 1, Isla Dura?

2. Based on class data, which characteristics were favorable on Island 2, Huequitos?

3. Based on class data, which characteristics were favorable on Island 3, Isla Espinosa?

4. Based on class data, which characteristics were favorable on Island 4, Isla de Pajaros?

5. Based on class data, which characteristics were favorable on Island 5, Isla Peligrosa?

6. Based on class data, which characteristics were favorable on Island 6, Isla Manchada?