El Centro College

ENVR 1401 Online

Natural Selection

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Objective
1. Students will demonstrate the principle of natural selection.
2. Students will explain how the process of natural selection operates.
3. Students will describe how particular traits increase the success of an organism in its environment.
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Please Highlight or type answers in a different color.

Activity 1: Natural Selection Simulation

Background
Natural selection is the theory proposed by Charles Darwin as a mechanism of evolution. The overall concept is that
populations become adapted to their particular environment over time. This leads to differential survival and success in
reproduction. In general, individuals with traits that are well suited to the current environment survive and produce
more offspring than other members of the population.

Traits are also known as adaptations. They increase the reproductive success of individual organisms in a given
environment. If the environment should undergo changes then the reproductive success of populations will shift. One
well known example is the Peppered Moth. The moth is usually pale with black speckles across the wings. This coloring
gives it the ability to camouflage itself among trees in the area. One mutation that naturally occurs gives the moths a
dark, nearly black appearance that stands out against the trees. The number of these individuals is small in the wild due
to predation. They do not survive long enough to reproduce. However, during the nineteenth century, it was noticed
that in specific areas the dark moths outnumbered the moths with a speckled appearance. This is because of
industrialization in urban areas and higher levels of air pollution that actually darken the tree trunks thus making the
pale speckled moths easier prey. Adapted from Dobson, C., and S. Burton. 2006. Spork and Beans (Natural Selection, Microevolution and Adaptation). Biology Dept., Grand Valley State University.

Introduction
For this lab you will use various utensils to determine which one is the “best adapted” to collect the beans.

Question
Which group will be the most reproductively fit?
Bare Hands

Hypothesis (Before beginning the lab, type your hypothesis here.)

Using bare hand will collect the large amount of beans
Materials
cups spoon beans, any dry variety
knife loose glove or oven mitt *amount varies
fork bare hands
 El Centro College
ENVR 1401 Online
Natural Selection
NOTE: In this lab you will be collecting beans using different utensils. To obtain better data, each utensil will be used three times
for a total of 3 trials. This lab may be done by one person with a different utensil each time and repeated for a total of three trials
per utensil or it may be performed my multiple people each with a different utensil and then repeated for a total of three trials.
Individual tester uses 200 beans ( ½ cup). Multiple testers use 1000 beans (1 ¼ cups).

Procedure
Individual testers
1. Find an open area to perform the lab (outside or inside will work fine).
2. Spread out approximately 200 beans (1/2 cup) in the area. Set a timer for 15 seconds.
3. At the signal pick up the fork, collect beans for 15 seconds and place in the cup.
4. Count the number of beans collected and record data. Put back the beans collected.
5. Reset timer for 15 seconds. Repeat collection and recording for a total of 3 times.
6. Using a different utensil, collect beans for 15 seconds, record data and repeat for a total of 3 times.
7. Continue until all utensils have been tested 3 times. Have fun!

Multiple testers
1. Find an open area to perform the lab (outside or inside will work fine).
2. Spread out approximately 1000 beans (1 ¼ cups) in the area. Set a timer for 15 seconds.
3. At the signal, each person pick up a different utensil, collect beans for 15 seconds, and record data.
4. Put back collected beans, repeat collection and recording for a total of 3 trials. Have fun!

Results

REQUIREMENT: Submit a clear picture of the lab in progress here. This ensures the lab was performed. Credit will
not be given if no picture is submitted.

Table 1: The amount of prey (beans) captured per adaptation.

Groups
Trial Fork Knife Spoon Glove Bare Hand
1 75 35 155 82 188
2 89 29 164 94 192
3 104 42 171 102 200
Totals 268 106 490 278 580

Rank the groups based on their extinction rates from ancient to modern. Populations that have smaller numbers left in
the wild will become extinct first while groups with larger numbers in the wild will last longer throughout evolutionary
history.

1.Knife
2.Fork
3.Spoon
4.Glove
5.Bare Hand
Conclusion

1. Which groups became extinct first? WHY?

Knife, because the beans collected using the knife not too much
2. What is the best suited (“best fit”) trait in this experiment? WHY?
The Bare Hand is the best fit for this experiment because hand can collect more than any other group
3. How does this experiment relate to naturally occurring animals, e.g., birds, for example?

This experiment relates to naturally occurring animals by showing the amount of food animal eats, the nature of the
animal, and how animal get the food will help to survive.

4. Explain the statement “Individuals are subjected to natural selection, but it is populations that evolve.”
individuals do not evolve - because of our genes already set, but populations' genes can evolve

5. How might a group of organisms in nature avoid extinction due to competition?

Need enough space, able to produce, energy from food, and water