EvolutionNancy DowJill Hansen

Tammy Stundon

Gulf Coast State College Panhandle Area Educational Consortium

5230 West Highway 98 753 West Boulevard

Panama City, Florida 32401 Chipley, Florida 32428

850-769-1551 877-873-7232

www.gulfcoast.edu

Biology Partnership

(A Teacher Quality Grant)

April 12, 2014

Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards

• SC.912.L.15.1 Explain how the theory of evolution is supported by fossil record, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, biogeography, molecular biology, and observed evolutionary change.

• SC.912.L.15.10 Identify basic trends in hominid evolution from early ancestors six million years ago to modern humans, including brain size, jaw size, language, and manufacture of tools.

• SC.912.N.3.1 Explain that a scientific theory is the culmination of many scientific investigations drawing together all the current evidence concerning a substantial range of phenomena; thus, a scientific theory represents the most powerful explanation scientists have to offer.

Clarifications•Students will identify evidence and/or explain how the scientific theory of evolution is supported by the fossil record, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, biogeography, molecular biology, and observable evolutionary change. •Students will identify examples of and basic trends in hominid evolution from early ancestors to modern humans. •Students will explain the development of a theory. •Students will recognize the differences between theories and laws.

Content Limits•Items assessing evolution will focus on a conceptual understanding of the supporting scientific evidence. •Items will not require memorization of the names of specific human fossils or the names of the different hominid species. •Items assessing the fossil record must focus on the fossil rather than geologic formations in isolation.•Items assessing the fossil record will not require understanding of the specific mechanisms used for relative dating and radioactive dating. •Items will not require the memorization of the geologic time scale, including era, period, and/or epoch.

• Items referring to adaptive radiation, convergent evolution, coevolution, or punctuated equilibrium should focus on the concepts rather than on the definition of the terms.

• Items referring to the development of language or the manufacturing of tools will relate this development to changes in the skull or brain size.

• Items will not assess types of genetic mutation or how these mutations occur.

• Items referring to comparative anatomy and comparative embryology will assess anatomical similarities such as homologous structures and vestigial organs but will not require specific knowledge of embryologic stages or structures

• Items may assess how the overall contributions of scientists such as Darwin, Lamarck, Lyell, Malthus, Mendel, or Wallace aided in the development of the scientific theory of evolution.

• Items will not assess the differences among intelligent design, creationism, and the scientific theory of evolution.

• Items assessing a scientific claim, the development of a theory, or the differences between theories and laws are limited to the scientific theory of evolution.

• SC.912.L.15.13 Describe the conditions required for natural selection, including: overproduction of offspring, inherited variation, and the struggle to survive, which result in differential reproductive success. (MODERATE)

• SC.912.L.15.14 Discuss mechanisms of evolutionary change other than natural selection such as genetic drift and gene flow. (MODERATE)

• SC.912.L.15.15 Describe how mutation and genetic recombination increase genetic variation. (Moderate)

Benchmark Clarifications– Students will explain and/or describe the conditions

required for natural selection that result in differential reproductive success.

– Students will explain and/or describe the scientific mechanisms, such as genetic drift, gene flow, and nonrandom mating, resulting in evolutionary change.

– Students will explain and/or describe how mutation and genetic recombination increase genetic variation.

– Students will identify ways in which a scientific claim is evaluated (e.g., through scientific argumentation, critical and logical thinking, and consideration of alternative explanations).

Content Limits – Items will not address descent with modification or

common descent.– Items addressing mutation and genetic

recombination in relation to increasing genetic variation must be assessed in the context of evolution.

– Items will not assess the Hardy-Weinberg principle or genetic equilibrium.

– Items may address how meiosis contributes to genetic variation but may not assess the steps or stages of meiosis.

– Items assessing a scientific claim are limited to the topics discussed in SC.912.L.15.13, SC.912.L.15.14, and SC.912.L.15.15.

Teaching Evolution• Responsibility

• Communicate your passion

• Tell good stories

• Engage the students

• Teach a complex topic like evolution that is easy for 12 year olds to understand, but not too simple.

“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” – Dobzhansky

Evolution surfaces throughout a biology curriculum; refer to it.

Richard Dawkins talks with a high school student.

Teaching evolution • Key points:

– Evolution: Decent with modification– Earth History – Use the 24 hour clock analogy– Charles Darwin – start with the story!– Variation/mutation, inheritance, and selection – finches

to bacteria….– Speciation – best shown as the branching ‘tree of life”

model– Evidence of evolution – from radiometric dating to

embryological evidence– Human evolution – Story of “Lucy”, human thumb

activity, skull activity…

Lee Meadow’s “The Missing Link”

• An inquiry approach for teaching all students about evolution.

• Don’t say evolution is ‘just a theory’

• Many students feel they have to defend their faith. Relieve that feeling.

• http://leemeadows.blogspot.com/

Evolution

XEvolution is NOT linear, so where did this come from?

Evolution

Intelligent Design is NOT in the standards. Do not approach the topic OR even state “versus.” This is

truly NOT a topic, or the place, where students need to feel they need to defend their faith.

Survival of the Sneakiest

Survival of the Sneakiest

Discussion questions

•When it comes to crickets, what does fitness mean?

• Is calling good or bad for a cricket's fitness?

•Give some examples of selection at work in this cricket story.

•How does selection favor calling? How does selection favor not calling?

How long can a fruit fly survive without food?

?

“SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST”—ONLY THE ‘BEST’ FLY WILL SURVIVE AND BE ABLE TO REPRODUCE AND PASS IT’S GENES ON TO THE NEXT

GENERATION.IT IS THEN SAID TO BE ‘FIT’-THIS IS NATURAL SELECTION.

AVERAGE STARVATION RESISTANCE

Hours until starvation

Num

ber

of f

lies The average fruit fly

can survive about 20 hours without food.

A MORE GENETICALLY ‘FIT’ FLY

GENETICALLY‘UNFIT’” FLY

Can fruit flies evolve so that they can resist starvation longer? Canwe see Natural Selection at work? (YES)

?

THE EXPERIMENT

= 500 fruit flies

Food removed

Food returned Eggs

New generation

1 INITIAL SETUPStart with a cage that contains a large number of fruit flies (5,000), and remove the food.

3 START NEW GENERATIONAfter the surviving flies eat a bit, collect the eggs those flies lay and transfer them to a new cage.

2 TESTING STARVATION RESISTANCEWait until 80% of the flies starve to death, then return the food to the cage. Record the average starvation-resistance time.

Only the most starvation-resistant flies live to lay eggs.

THE RESULTS

Hours until starvation

Hours until starvation

Hours until starvation

Num

ber

of f

lies

Num

ber

of f

lies

Num

ber

of f

lies

Experiment continues through 60 generations.

GENERATION 60Average starvation resistance: 160 HR.---this is evolution (change) at work

GENERATION 1Average starvation resistance: 20 HR.

GENERATION 2Average starvation resistance: 23 HR.

Over many generations of natural selection, the population changes! The flies now resist starvation much longer.

THE EVOLUTIONS OF POPULATIONS

THERE ARE FOUR MECHANISMS THAT CAN GIVE RISE TO EVOLUTION:1.MUTATION 2.GENETIC DRIFT 3.MIGRATION (Gene Flow) 4.NATURAL SELECTION

Greatly and quickly seen in isolated populations like those on islands. -Allele frequency will change over generations; situations/EVR will favor one allele over another-Those populations at equilibrium are not evolving-Species with more genetic diversity will adapt better to environmental changes

Mutations

• Rare because you have self

correcting enzymes• Natural Process that produces

genetic diversity• Not all mutations are bad

– Some won’t affect the body at all• Blood types/ear lobes

– Some are advantageous

(thumb)

wrist bone

five digits

Genetic Drift

Random selection….need a constant change and variety of alleles to survive

Migration(Gene Flow)

Natural Selection

Each mechanism changes the allele frequency

Three conditions for NS to occur: 1.Variation of the trait2.Trait must be inheritable3.One version is in greater abundance

Evidence!!!

10 minutes!!

• With your ipad/smart phone go to http://science.discovery.com/games-and-interactives/charles-darwin-game.htm

• Or google “Darwin evolution game”

• If you survive, let me know!

Get your ipad out!

1. Why is it beneficial to have diversity in a population?

2. What were some of the selective pressures in your environment that accented the survival of some of you population?

3. What were you looking for in the mutation lifeline to help your population survive?

4. Based on your experience in playing this game, do you think there have been more extinctions of species than successes of various species? Explain.

Follow up!Species with greater

genetic diversity adapt

more easily to changing environments!

Evolution does not work this way

Organisms with favorable genetic variations will tend to survive and breed successfully

Comparative embryology:Similar embryo development in closely related species

similar embryos, diverse organisms

ACTIVITY

Investigating Hominoid Fossils.

Compare…

what can you

conclude?

Eye sockets become smaller

Jaws become smaller

and protrude less

Homologous and Analogous Structures

Homologous structures show evidence of a common ancestor

Analogous structures have a similar function but not a common ancestor. Similar structures are due to a common environmental pressure/need.

Activity!

Jelly bellicus

The Most FIT!!!!

Human Thumb Activity

With the thumb came the power and precision grips use of tools! An advantageous characteristic of most species in the genus Homo.

Dog versus Wolf Card Game

Evolution Thinket

• Additional Resources:– Understanding Evolution website- Berkley

– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/lessons/lesson5/act1.html– http://www.elucy.org/

– Evolution of Cetaceans

• Next slide for more resources

Or Die!

The Natural History Museum presents “The evolution game” http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/evolution/what-is-evolution/natural-selection-game/the-evolution-experience.html

This game is all about natural selection, the player plays the role of a young bird which must survive in order to reproduce. You must eat enough bugs to survive each season, but the color of the bugs changes depending on which bugs are easiest to find.

The Big Picture on Evolution http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/stellent/groups/corporatesite/@msh_publishing_group/documents/we b_document/wtd026042.pdf

This teaching resource from the Welcome Trust is a short issue all about evolution. It explains the research and applications of evolution as well as the history – great for older kids, or those interested in learning more.

Follow up

•Q & A

•Post Test