https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/natural-selection
Lab Overview
Natural Selection
This lab uses the PhET Natural Selection simulation to help students understand how traits in populations can change over time due to environmental pressures, survival, and reproduction. By simulating a population of bunnies with different traits, students explore key concepts of evolution, such as adaptation, genetic variation, and survival of the fittest. This virtual lab provides an interactive way for students to observe evolutionary principles in action.
Learning Objectives
Aligned with the Victorian Curriculum, students will:
- VCSSU120: Investigate how genetic variation and environmental factors contribute to evolution by natural selection.
- VCSSU121: Describe the mechanisms that drive changes in species over generations.
By the end of this lab, students should be able to:
- Define natural selection and describe how it affects population traits over time.
- Explain how genetic variations can provide survival advantages in specific environments.
- Predict how environmental changes impact the survival and reproduction of organisms within a population.
ACARA Digital Literacy Capabilities
- Interpret data: Analysing population changes under different conditions.
- Respect intellectual property: Understanding the ethical use of genetic simulation data.
Lab Instructions
- Access the Simulation: PhET Natural Selection Simulation.
- Observe a Population with No Predators:
- Set the simulation with bunnies and no predators to observe how traits vary naturally in a stable environment.
- Introduce a genetic mutation (e.g., fur color) and observe how the trait spreads through generations.
- Introduce Environmental Factors:
- Add environmental changes such as food scarcity or cold weather, observing how certain traits, like fur color or thickness, affect survival.
- Introduce Predators:
- Add wolves as a predatory factor and observe which traits increase survival rates.
- Track how these selective pressures impact the bunny population’s traits over multiple generations.
Assessment Questions
- Define natural selection and provide an example from the simulation that shows how certain traits improve survival.
- How does a change in environment (e.g., temperature) affect the distribution of traits within a population?
- Explain the role of genetic mutations in natural selection and describe how a mutation could become more common in a population.
- Describe a real-world example of natural selection in action, such as antibiotic resistance in bacteria or camouflage in animals.
Teacher Notes
Integrating with Lessons:
- This lab works well as an introduction or follow-up to lessons on evolution and genetics, reinforcing concepts with a hands-on approach.
- Encourage students to connect observations in the simulation with real-world examples of natural selection and adaptations.
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may think that evolution is a directed process; emphasize that natural selection acts on existing variation without “choosing” specific outcomes.
- Clarify that not all mutations are beneficial and that only those improving survival are likely to spread in a population.
Extension Activities:
- Have students design an experiment within the simulation to see how different predator populations impact trait frequencies.
- Challenge students to explore the concept of genetic drift by observing trait changes in small versus large populations over time.
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