Classwork:

Evolution and Natural Selection

Group 405

Name Marcelo Isassi A01194128, Miguel Villarreal A01194395

Introduction
Different individuals in a population have different characteristics. This is known as variation.
Some of the variations in characteristics can be inherited by a parents offspring; and they are
called heritable characteristics. Some characteristics make individuals better at surviving and
reproducing than others. Fitness refers to the ability to survive and produce offspring that are
capable of reproducing. The specific characteristics that contribute to fitness will differ in
different environments.

A characteristic that increases an individuals fitness is called an adaptation. Notice that
biologists use the terms adaptation and fitness to have different meanings other than the
common meanings of these words in everyday language. Living things that are well adapted
to their environment survive and reproduce, while those that are not well adapted do not. An
adaptation is considered any characteristic that increases fitness, which is the ability to
survive and reproduce.

Heritable adaptive characteristics become more common in a population over many
generations. This process is called evolution by natural selection. Evolution by natural
selection is a gradual process that takes place over many, many generations. Evolution by
natural selection results in changes in the frequency of characteristics and alleles or genes
within a population, and not changes in an individual.

Which characteristics are adaptive and how a population evolves depends on what kind of
environment the population is in. The same population will evolve differently if placed in a
different environment. Organisms are not evolving to some pre-ordained perfection but are
evolving to maximum fitness in a given environment.

Instuctions:
1. Study figures 1- 3 below, then answer the questions using these figures:

a) Is the population of mice found in figure 1 different that the population of mice found
in figure 3? Explain why.
Yes it is different, because a predator just passed by and caught its prey (the mice)

b) What characteristic of the mice is an adaptation that increased their fitness?
That they hide, or they camouflaged with their color.

2. Using your observation of figures 1-3, apply the scientific method to do the following
a) Write an investigation problem: An eagle is looking for prey and it finds a community
of mice. From the floor, we can infer that they are on a beach-like environment. There
are 4 tan mice and 4 white mice, the 4 tan mice have better fitness since they adapt to
their environment camouflaging from the predators.

b) State your hypothesis: The eagle wont find the tan mice as easy as the white ones, so
he will catch the white ones easier than the tan ones, since the tan ones has better
fitness since their fur helps them.
c) Define the variables:
a. Independent: Color of nice
b. Dependent: The number of mice
c. Controlled: Color of soil

3. The table below gives descriptions of four female mice that live on a beach that is mostly
tan sand with scattered plants: Using the table above, answer the following questions:
Fur color

black

tan

Tan and black

cream

Age of death

2 months

8 months

4 months

2 months

# of pups
produced by
each female

11

Running speed

8 cm/sec.

6 cm/sec.

7 cm/sec.

5cm/sec

a) According to the definition of fitness, which mouse would biologists consider the
fittest? Explain why.
The ones with tan fur, because they live up to 8 months of life span, they produce up
to 11 pups and can run a velocity of 6 cm per second and also their fur can help the
camouflage.

2


b) If the mouses fur color is generally similar to its mothers color, what color fur would
be most common among the pups?
Tan.

4. Below is a series of pictures representing changes in a population of cacti. Pictures 1 and 2
show what happened when a deer came to eat, picture 3 shows the cacti a few weeks
later (notice the flowers on the right-hand cactus), and picture 4 shows the situation a few
months later. Use these pictures to answer the following questions:

a) One characteristic that is necessary for natural selection to take place is variation in
characteristics within the population. In picture 1, what is the main difference
between the cactus on the left and the cactus on the right?
The thorns that the one in the right has, can harm the deer, so the one with the thorns
is more likely to survive, using the thorns as a protective method to increase its life
span.
b) Another characteristic necessary for natural selection to take place is differences in
survival and reproduction fitness. Why would a deer be more likely to eat the cactus
on the left than the cactus on the right?
Because, the cactus in the left wont harm the deer since it has no thorns, in comparison
with the one in the right, which has thorns, a protective method that protects it from
predators since they are harmful for the predators.

c) What effect does the deers behavior have on the survival and reproduction of these
two types of cactus?
Its instinct tells it to eat the one on the left since eating the one on the right will harms
it.
Another characteristic necessary for natural selection to take place is the heritability of
characteristics from parent to offspring. The difference between the cacti is a heritable
characteristic (see picture 4). Do you think that evolution by natural selection is occurring in
this population? Explain why or why not.
Yes, because the cactus on the right has thorns, which helps it survive and prevents it from
being hunted by predators because they will be harmed by the thorns. Meanwhile, the one on
the left is weaker and is more likely to be eaten by them since it has no protection.

Evaluation

Criteria

Interpretation of
figures 1-3

All questions related

to the figures were
answered correctly.

All questions related

to the figures were
answered, but some
of them were not
answered correctly.

All questions related

to the figures were
answered, but none
of them were
answered correctly.

Steps in the scientific

method

The investigation
problem, hypothesis
and variables were
all correct and were
appropriate for the
information given in
the figures.

The investigation
problem, hypothesis
and variables had
some mistakes, but
were appropriate for
the information given
in the figures.

The investigation
problem, hypothesis
and variables had
some mistakes, and
were not appropriate
for the information
given in the figures.

Data interpretation

Both questions
pertaining to the data
chart were answered
correctly

One of the questions

pertaining to the data
chart was answered
correctly.

None of the
questions pertaining
to the data chart
were answered
correctly.

Understanding the

All questions

Some of the

None of the

conditions necessary
for natural selection
to take place

pertaining to natural
selection were
answered correctly.

questions pertaining
to natural selection
were answered
correctly.

questions pertaining
to natural selection
were answered
correctly.

Team work

The team members

worked together to
do the activity. They
turned it in on time.

The team members

worked together to
do the activity. They
didnt turn it in on
time.

The team members

didnt work together
to do the activity.
They didnt turn it in
on time.