Sporks Natural Selection in a Population

Question
How do particular inherited traits, increase the success of an organism in its niche?

Knowledge Probe
Answer the following questions in your BLABN.
1. How are traits passed on through generations of
organisms?
2. In your own words, what does the phrase "survival of the
fittest" mean?
3. All organisms in nature have adaptations that increase
their success (survival and reproduction) in their
environment. Looking at the photographs of each animal
below, what are some of the adaptations these species
share that help them succeed in an aquatic environment?
4. Using your resources, define natural selection and give
an example. *** Remember that natural selection is only
one method of evolution.

Prediction
Deep in an undiscovered forest, a population consisting of forks is the top predator in the ecosystem. Due to a
recent genetic mutation, some members of the spoon population have a slight fork-like appearance.
The local bean population is the food source for the population of predators. Which do you think is the better
predator? Why? What will happen to population adaptations?

Investigation Plan
Rules for hunting prey:
a. Your cup must be kept flat on the desk immediately in front of you.
b. You cannot just slide food into cup.
c. One hand must always be in contact with the cup.
d. You may use this hand to help unload prey into the cup, but don't let go!
e. You can only acquire one bean at a time, and may only use the utensil to gather them.
f. If more than one bean is picked up at one time, both must be discarded before another prey can be
taken.
g. Any "food" that leaves the tray is no longer accessible

Population Mating Instructions

1. You will be given two cards to represent what two alleles you have for
color. Green will be dominant and white will be recessive.
2. You will also be given two cards to indicate if you are a spoon or a spork
or a fork.
a. Spoon genotype is two spoon alleles
b. Spork genotype is one spoon and one fork allele.
c. Fork genotype is two fork alleles.
3. Record what color and feeding utensil you are on your data table in your
BLABN.
 4. Find a partner to feed with. Each of you will have 15 seconds to gather as many prey as you can into
your cup. The rules above apply!

5. After 15 seconds of feeding you will mate.

a. Place your color and tool cards face down on the table.
b. Pick one striped card and one plain card from your cards and the same from your partner's
cards.
c. Record the color generated and the feeding utensil generated in ONE persons table in their
BLABN. You become that phenotype in the next generation.
d. Repeat a second time for the other person. Record in their BLABN.
e. If your genotype has changed be sure to replace the card that changed so your cards represent
what your two alleles are now.
6. Place a tally mark on the board for your new phenotypes - color and tool.
7. Find a new mate at a new feeding hole. Repeat feeding when instructed and mate again.
8. Continue the above process until told to stop.
Selection Occurs
1. Highlight the generation we are currently on in your data table.
2. We will now add the concepts of competition and heredity to our predator/prey simulation.
a. The winter is harsh and only those who have eaten enough will be able to survive and
reproduce.
3. Which predator's feeding utensil do you think will have the most success?
4. Unfortunately, the half of the class with the least number beans caught will die, and the predators with
the most food are the survivors. These survivors get the opportunity to reproduce.
5. The total population will stay the same and all those who reproduce will have four offspring. Those that
died will take on the phenotypes of the offspring reproduced.
6. If you have a surviving utensil, find the nearest potential mate for your spoon or spork.
7. Mate as you did before but give two of the four offspring to two people who died.
8. Record your phenotype on your table in your BLABN.
9. Continue until told to stop.

Observations
Observation Questions - Answer in your BLABN

1. How does the process of natural selection operate? Be sure to use specific data collected to help
explain what happened to the utensil population.
2. If spoons were to disappear completely from the population, is it possible for them to appear in the next
generation? How do you know?
3. In your own words, define what the term "adaptation" means.
4. How might things have gone differently if the population consisted entirely of forks?
5. What role does the variation in traits play in natural selection?

Data Analysis
Click on the Class Data Sheet . You will need to make a copy of this data sheet to make your graph(s). When
the food shortage occurs highlight that generation in
your data table. To do so click the row for that
generation and then the paint bucket on the toolbar and
choose a color to highlight that row of the table. You will
generate two graphs, like the one to the right -
● one for the changes in the number of feeding
mechanisms in the population through the
generations
● the second for the changes in color in the
population through the generations.
● You will need to print your graphs and tape them
into your BLABN

Click Basic Graphing Direction in Google sheets if you need help. You won't need to do any of the data
analysis that is explained there so scroll down to get to how to insert a graph and edit the graph so it looks like
you want it to.

Answer the following questions in your BLABN in your Data Analysis Section
1. What caused the population to evolve?
2. What is the significance of heredity in our simulation? Why is this an important part of the process of
natural selection?
3. Are all traits affected when an organism is exposed to an environmental pressure? Why or why not?
4. Explain the statement that individuals are subjected to natural selection, but it is populations that evolve
over time.
5. Using our utensil population as an example, explain the statement that evolution is not goal-oriented.

Prediction 2
After a dramatic change in the environment, the population's beans prey has suddenly died out in their
ecosystem! The organisms have now resorted to eating marshmallows, a food source they are adapted to eat
but don't prefer if beans are present. Make your predictions on what will happen to the population by answering
the questions below
1. Which individuals do you think will have the most success with the new prey? Why?
2. If you continue the experiment with the same number of spoons, sporks, and forks, what would you
expect to happen to the population? Why?