Name:________________________________________________ Per:_________________

Ecology

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Ecology Stable Food webBiodiversity Unstable Food chainPopulation Birth rate ProducersCommunity Death rate ConsumersEcosystem Immigration DecomposersBiome Emigration Climate change

Personal Word Wall

Ecology

1. Vocabulary:

a. Ecology: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is ecology?

Ecology: The study of ____________________________________ that take place between ________________ and their ___________________________________________________

Interactions: How __________________________ organisms ___________ on each ____________________

For example, in ________________________ living organisms ___________________ with _____________________________ parts of the _________________________.

o ____________________ interact with the water, ______________________ interact with the grasses, and _________________________ interact with snails.

3. Who studies ecology?Ecologist: A person who _____________________ the ______________________ between living things (ecology)

Example Careers: Field biologist: Works ______________, collects __________ from plant surveys, and ________

birdso Find ways to ___________________________________________________________________________

4. Examine the interactions

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Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #1 – ecology

Directions: Consider environment below.

1. Name 3 interactions between things in the environment

2. Name one interaction between a living and nonliving thing

Homework #1 – Ecology

1. What is ecology?

2. What do ecologists study?

3. What does the word “interaction” mean?

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Levels of Organization1. Vocabulary:

a. Population: A _________________ of the _____________ species that lives in one ______________

b. Community: A _______________ of ________________ species that live together in one ________

c. Ecosystem: All the _____________ and ___________________ things in an ______________

d. Biome: A major regional or global community of organisms, characterized by the climate condition and plant communities that thrive there

2. What ecologists study:

a. Nature on _______________________ _______________________

b. From _______________________ to ____________________________

3. Levels of Organization

Biome: An area that has the ____________ climate and _____________ communities.

(Examples: _____________, Tundra, etc)

Ecosystem: All of the ___________________ and climate, __________, water, ____________, and _______________________ things in an ___________

Community: A ____________ of ______________ species that ________ together in one ____________

Alligators, _______________, birds, fish, and __________________

Population: A group of the _________ species that ______________ together in one ____________

Organism: An individual ____________ _____________

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Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #2 – Levels of organization

1. What are the 5 levels of organization studied by ecologists?

2. If an ecologist is studying a group of different species that lives in one area, what level are they studying?

3. If an ecologist is studying all of the organisms and climate, soil, water, rocks, and nonliving things in an area, what level are they studying?

4. If an ecologist is studying a group of the same species that lives together in one area, what level are they studying?

5. Why is it important to study ALL the levels of organization?

Homework #2 – Levels of organization

Description: Fill in the 5 levels of organization with a description and pictures

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The Living EarthHow is Earth different from the other planets in the solar system? One difference is that

Earth supports living organisms! The part of Earth with life is called the biosphere. The biosphere includes the top part of the crust, the oceans, and the atmosphere.

The biosphere is made of many different environments. The environments on Earth are home to many different kinds of organisms. For example, the Rio Grande Valley receives very little rain. Cacti, lizard, coyotes, javelinas and many other organisms live in this type of environment. On the other hand, rain forests receive plenty of rain. Parrots, monkeys, large trees, and thousands of others live in the rain forest. There are many other environments all over the world.

If you visit Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, you might see something like the pictures. A hawk lands on a plant. The hawk lives off of snakes in the grass. A butterfly pollinates the plant. These pictures are part of an ecosystem. An ecosystem includes all of the living and non-living things in an area. In the pictures, the plant, hawk, butterfly, water, sunlight, soil and air are all part of the desert ecosystem. Ecology is the study of how organisms and non-living things interact in an environment. Ecologists are scientists who study ecosystems.

Imagine you are an ecologist. You might study how cougars move from place to place and how they care for their young. You would be studying the members of a population. A population is made of all the organisms in an ecosystem that are from the same species (the same type of organism). For example, all the hawks in Laguna Atascosa make up one population. All the monarch butterflies make up another population. All the border lilies make up yet another population.

Another ecologist might be studying how butterflies pollinate border lilies. Another ecologist might be studying how the snake population reacts to an increase in the hawk population. These ecologists are studying how different populations interact. They are studying a community. A community is made of all the populations in an ecosystem. This means that it includes all living organisms in the ecosystem. A rainforest community would include all the parrots, monkeys, trees, and other living organisms in the rainforest. An arctic community might include populations of fish, seals that eat the fish, and polar bears that eat the seals.

Every organism in an ecosystem needs a place to live. The place where an organism lives is its habitat. The salamander in the picture is in its habitat. Salamanders avoid sunlight and seek damp, dark places. They eat worms, insects, and slugs. An organism’s habitat provides food, shelter, and the appropriate amount of heat and moisture.

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Name:________________________________ Per:______Practice #3 – The Living Earth

1. What is an ecosystem?2.

3. What is ecology?

4. What is a population?

5. What is a community?

6. What is a habitat?

7. What is the difference between a community and a population?

8. Give one example of a community

9. Give one example of a population

10. Look at the picture. List ALL the populations you see in the picture.

11. Look at the picture. Describe one interaction that might occur between populations.

12. Look at the picture. What things are NOT part of the community?

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Biomes1. Vocabulary:

a. Tundra: A vast, __________, treeless ____________ region of Europe, Asia, and North America where the _____________________ is permanently _________________

b. Desert: A dry, often ______________ region of little _______________, ___________________ temperatures, and sparse ____________________________.

c. Savannah: A grassy _________ in tropical and subtropical regions, with __________ treesd. Temperate Grasslands: Areas of ___________ ___________________ with very few trees,

located in _________________________ climatese. Taiga (Coniferous Forest): __________________ of dense ___________________ trees that

extend across __________________ America, Europe, and Asiaf. Temperate (Deciduous) Forest: Areas with high levels of ___________________,

humidity and contain a variety of _____________________ that lose their leaves in winterg. Tropical Forest: Areas characterized by ______________________ vegetation, seasonally

__________________ temperatures, and abundant ___________________2. What is each biome like?

Rain

fall

TemperateForest

Taiga TropicalRainforest

TemperateGrassland

Savannah Desert Tundra

Tem

pera

ture

Plan

ts

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Anim

als

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #4 – Biomes

Directions: Use the descriptions to choose which biome it describes

Temperate Forest Taiga Tropical Forest Temperate Grassland

Savannah Desert Tundra

1. This biome has high levels of rainfall and deciduous trees

________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. This biome has high rainfall, high humidity, and dense vegetation

________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. This biome is a grassy plain with little rainfall and few trees

________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. This biome had dense evergreen trees and colder temperatures

________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. This biome is dry and sandy, with extreme temperatures

________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. This biome has very few trees and colder climates. Some animals are prairie dogs and mice

________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. This biome is a flat, treeless area where the soil is frozen

________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. In this biome, you could find grass, lions, zebras, bushes, and hyenas

________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. In this biome, you could find hundreds of different types of plants and monkeys, parrots, butterflies, and snakes

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________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. In this biome, you could find cacti, jack rabbits, rats, lizards, and snakes

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Biotic and Abiotic Factors

1. Vocabulary:

a. Ecosystem: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Biotic factors:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c. Abiotic factors: _____________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is an ecosystem?

a. Ecosystem: All the _________________ and _____________________ things in an _______________

b. Examples:i. Garden

ii. Log

3. Biotic and Abiotic Factors

RainforestBiotic Factors Abiotic Factors

Desert

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Biotic Factors Abiotic Factors

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #5 – Biotic and Abiotic Factors

Directions: Compare two ecosystems (including biotic and abiotic factors)

Ecosystem #1:___________________________________ Ecosystem #2:______________________________

Homework #5 – Biotic and Abiotic Factors

1. What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?

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2. What is an ecosystem?

3. How do biotic and abiotic factors interact in the tropic rainforest?

4. Name 3 biotic factors in the Southern California ecosystem

5. Name 3 abiotic factors in the Southern California ecosystem

Biodiversity

1. Vocabulary:

a. Biodiversity: _________________________________________________________________________________

2. Types of Biodiversity:

High Biodiversity Low Biodiversity

An ecosystem that has a large ______________________ of plants and animals

_________________________________________

An ecosystem that has very _________ ______________________ plants and animals

______________________________________________

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3. Examples of biodiversity

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #6 – Biodiversity

1. What is biodiversity?

2. What are the two types of biodiversity?

3. If an ecosystem had a wide variety of plants and animals, would it have high or low biodiversity?

4. A log provides a habitat for a wide variety of species. It is home to ants, termites, weeds and fungi. The sun helps the organisms to thrive and the rain provides water for the plants. Does the log ecosystem show high or low biodiversity?

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RAINFOREST:

Over 1,00 species of insects live in just one kind of rainforest tree, and the rainforest contains over 250,000 different kinds of plants

High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________

DESERT:

Many plants and animals have difficulty surviving in the scorching heat of the desert

High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________

WETLANDS:

Wetlands support a wide variety of species. Plant life flourishes in the wetlands

High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________

5. Do you think the Santa Monica Mountains ecosystem has high or low biodiversity? Why?

Homework #6 – Biodiversity

The Loss of BiodiversityEmperor tamarins are omnivores that eat fruits, insects, flowers and nectar. As seed dispersers for a variety of plant species, these primates are important to the health of the tropical rain forest ecosystems in which they live.

Extinction is occurring at a rate that is 1000 times faster than any time in the past 100,000 years. Wide swathes of rain forest are being destroyed as humans develop the land for agriculture and other human needs.

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TUNDRA:

The tundra’s frozen soil makes it difficult for many plants or animals to live there

High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________

LA High’s classrooms:

The dirty floors of LA High provide a home to a variety of mice, cockroaches, and ants

High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________

GARDEN:

A garden has a wide variety of flowers, vegetables, weeds, worms, and bugs

High or low biodiversity?____________________________________________________________________________

Because rain forests are areas with high biodiversity, each time an acre of land is lost, species that once lived there may be lost as well. Why is biodiversity important? How does its loss affect you?

Biodiversity at Risk

At present, we are losing more species than we are finding. Across the globe, animal species that are known to be threatened with extinction include

12 percent of all birds 30 percent of all fishes 24 percent of all mammals 20 percent of all amphibians

Biologists think that there are least 10 million, and possibly as many as 100 million, species of plants and animals. At current rates of extinction, over half of these species will be gone by the end of this century. Extinction is a natural process and is always occurring. Using evidence from the fossil record, the background extinction rate is calculated to be between 10 and 100 species per year. However, the current rate of extinction greatly exceeds that number. Hundreds of thousands of species will disappear before we are even aware of their existence.

Does Biodiversity Really Matter?

Some people might suggest that biodiversity belongs in a zoo and the rest of the world belongs to humans to develop. Arguments in favor of development include the following:

o The rise and fall of species is part of nature. No species lives forever. New species replace old ones.

o Economic development provides jobs to people who are living in poverty.

o Land set aside as wilderness could be better used as farmland to provide more food for a rapidly increasing human population.

Conservation biologists view the pro-development arguments as shortsighted. Their view is that the Earth must be maintained for future generations, not simply harvested to provide for the needs of its current population. In fact, they argue that biodiversity plays an important part in ecosystem stability.

The Value of Biodiversity

Ecosystems provide human communities with a number of services free of

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charge, including air and water purification, flood and drought control, pollination of crops and other vegetation, dispersal of seeds, and nutrient cycling. These services have an economic value. If it were possible for humans to pay for ecosystem services based on their market value, biologists estimate that the cost would be approximately $33 trillion annually.

In general, the more species that live in an ecosystem, the more efficient and stable that ecosystem will be. For example, a rain forest can produce much more oxygen than an orchard full of apple trees. Also, many plants, including 75 percent of the world’s staple crop plants, need animal pollinators such as birds and insects to help them reproduce.

In addition, 40 percent of all medicines are derived from plants, animals, and microbes. For example, biologists are developing a painkiller based on an extract from the skin of an Ecuadorian frog. The painkiller is 200 times stronger than morphine, but is not addictive. Every time a plant, animal, or microbe becomes extinct, biologists lose whatever knowledge they might have been able to gain by studying it.

Unanswered QuestionsAs you have learned, biodiversity is very valuable. Yet questions remain about how best to protect biodiversity. Two of these unanswered questions include

o How can we slow down the current extinction rate?o Some of the areas with the highest amount of biodiversity are

located in developing countries.o How can biodiversity be preserved without harming the

country’s economic growth?

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #7 – the loss of Biodiversity

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Biodiversity = Stable and Unstable

1. Vocabulary:

a. Ecosystem: ___________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why is biodiversity important?:

a. ___________________ biodiversity helps an ecosystem _______________ environmental changeb. Example of environmental change =

i. _______________________________________________ii. _______________________________________________

iii. _______________________________________________

3. Stable vs. unstable ecosystems

4. Examples Scenario: A particular ecosystem has many organisms that live there, but there are only 5 different species. 1. Is there is high or low biodiversity?

2. Do you think the ecosystem is stable?

3. What would happen if there was a drought?

Name:________________________________Per:______

Practice #8 – Stable and Unstable

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High Biodiversity

________________ ecosystem

Low Biodiversity

_______________ ecosystem

1. A disease spreads through an ecosystem. In which type of ecosystem is it most likely that at least some individuals will survive in the presence of the disease?

2. Ecosystem A has a wide variety of plants and animals. Ecosystem B does not have a variety of species. Which ecosystem is more stable? Why?

3. The rainforest has thousands of different plants and animals that live in just one tree. If the climate changes, do you think that some individuals will survive? Why or why not?

4. A puddle only has 2 species that live in it – worms and slugs. If the puddle dries up, do you think that some individuals will survive? Why or why not?

5. Coral reefs can sustain thousands of different kinds of species. If the water temperature increases, do you think some species will survive?

Homework #8 – Stable and Unstable

Directions: Indicate whether each of the below ecosystems is stable or unstable

1. Low biodiversity:_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. High biodiversity:____________________________________________________________________________________

3. A variety of different species:________________________________________________________________________

4. The tundra (very cold, frozen ground, many species can’t survive):______________________________

5. The rainforest (variety of species):__________________________________________________________________

Amazon Rainforest Animals18

Most of the world's rainforests are located in Central and South America, West and Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. They are very wet areas near the equator that give true meaning to the expression "world of abundance", an expression that reflects on the variety of rainforest animals. Brazil holds 30% of all tropical rainforests that remain on Earth, and they are represented by Amazonia.

The Amazon rainforest animals are part of a big ecosystem sustained by an incredible amount of trees and other plants. Almost every inch is covered with vegetation. Amazonia has 427 species of mammals, 1294 species of birds, 378 of reptiles, 427 amphibians, and 3,000 fish. Among the mammals we can find the jaguar, an incredibly agile animal with a powerful bite, giant otters, the pink dolphin, also called "boto" by the natives, which is one of the three species of dolphins on Earth that live on freshwater, sloths (large and slow moving animals), armadillos, the peculiar tamandua, or anteater, tapirs, which are active mostly at night, manatees - the Amazon species is exclusively vegetarian and also one of the three manatee species in the world, etc. However, the majority of mammals are rodents and bats.

Among the birds, there is the harpy eagle, a great hunter that eats practically all species of mammals found in the Amazon rainforest, even monkeys. Other examples are the toucan, a colorful bird that is the symbol of Amazonia, the hoatzin, a unique bird with a small head and a long neck, hummingbirds, which are quite small and very hyperactive, and many other colorful, pretty birds. Among the reptiles, we can find the famous boa, which has a unique way of killing their prey: they wrap around the prey suffocating it and crashing its bones in order to be able to swallow it as a whole. Crocodiles, alligators, and turtles are also present in the rainforest.

The amphibians are mainly toads, frogs, and tree frogs. For example, the dart poison frog and the giant cane toad, which has got a strong poison that is enough to kill small animals. Among the fish, there is the famous red piranha, a carnivore fish that is known for its voracious appetite, the feared electric eel, and the Pirarucu, which is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. This amazing fish can weigh up to 150 kg.

These are the most famous rainforest animals in Amazonia, but, crawling around, there are an immense amount of insects. You can find cockroaches as big as the palm of your hand, Rhinoceros beetles and their peculiar horn, Morpho butterflies with their astonishing deep blue wings, and also termites and ants, such as the leaf-cutter ant with its massive, strong jaw. No matter where you look, you will find enchanting and interesting species. After all, that is what rainforests represent: a universe of blooming life.

Name:________________________________ Per:______Practice #9 – Amazon rainforest animals

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Name:________________________________ Per:______

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Main Idea:

Supporting Detail:

Main Idea:

Supporting Detail:

Main Idea:

Supporting Detail:

Main Idea:

Practice #2 – Evolution controversy

Evolution SurveyInstructions: Choose whether each statement is true or false, in terms of how you think biologists use and understand the term evolution today. You do NOT have to agree with the statement for it to be “true” as you think biologists see it.

1. Evolution is a scientific fact

2. Evolution is something you should either believe in, or not believe in

3. Evolution is a process that involved the origin of life

4. Evolution is primarily concerned with the origin of humans

5. According to evolution, people came from monkeys a long time ago

6. Evolution was first proposed and explained by Charles Darwin

7. Evolution is something that happened in the past and is not happening now

8. Evolution can be compatible with all the world’s major religions

9. Evolution is only a theory

10.There is little evidence for evolution

11.Evolution theory has been tested many times, and has always been supported by the evidence

12. Evolution is a totally random process, or a series of “accidents”

Homework #2 – Evolution controversy

1. Are there any other issues you can think of that are similar to evolution (they are controversial)?

2. Explain what the word “controversial” means in your own words.

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What is Evolution?4. Vocabulary:

a. Evolution: A change in species over time

5. What is evolution?

6. Key Ideas of evolution

a. Fitness: An organisms ability to produce more offspring relative to other members of its population

b. Adaptation: Feature that allows organisms to better survive in their environment

i. Takes millions of years!

Name:________________________________ Per:______

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Evolution

Change over time

Evolution occurs over thousands of years

Theory that has been tested many

times

Mutations are passed down to

offspring

Beneficial mutations are passed down

Practice #3 – What is evolution?

Directions: Choose the best adaptation for each of the animals listed below.

1. Mole

Adaptation:________________________

2. Wolf

Adaptation:________________________

3. Frog:

Adaptation:________________________

4. Hummingbird:

Adaptation:________________________

Homework #3 – What is evolution?

1. What is evolution?

2. Why do adaptations occur?

3. How long do adaptations take?

4. What is “fitness”?

5. Why do mutations make organisms different from one another?

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Adaptations:

Sharp claws

Thick fur

Camouflage

Strong beak

Fitness

1. Vocabulary:

a. Fitness: Measure of an organisms ability to survive and reproduce offspring

2. What is it:

a. Within a population, certain individuals are more likely to survive and reproduce. This is called fitness.

b. WHY?

i. Adaptations

1. Examples:

a. Bright colors: Help attract a mate

b. Long neck: Help them get food others can’t

c. Camouflage: Help them hide from predators

d. Thick fur: Help them stay warm

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Good Adaptations

Fitness

More likely to survive and reproduce

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #4 – Fitness

Directions: Choose which of the following will survive and reproduce (fitness)

1. In a warm environment, dogs that have:a. Thick furb. No furc. White fur

2. A frog that rests on dark green leaves:a. Bright blue skinb. Rough skin c. Dark green skin

3. A bird that eats hard-shelled nuts:a. Strong beakb. Short beakc. Brown beak

4. In a snowy area, a wolf that has:a. Black furb. White furc. Brown fur

5. In an area where mice are the main food source, a cat that has:a. A thick tailb. Shiny fur c. Sharp claws

Homework #4 – Fitness

Directions: Write one paragraph explaining what fitness is and what helps species have more fitness

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Charles Darwin

1. Vocabulary:

a. Variation: A change in species over time

2. Who is Charles Darwin?

a. The father of evolution!

b. 1831: Hired to go on a voyage on the HMS Beagle to study the land and its inhabitants

c. Studied the plants and animals in his travels

3. Where did he go?

4. What did he observe?

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Variation:

Difference in physical traits

Variations between the islands

Especially in the Galapagos Islands!

Adaptation:

Feature that allows an organism to better survive in its environment

EXAMPLE: Turtles with long necks live in area with tall plants

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #5 – CHARLES DARWIN

Directions: Use the word bank above to fill in the blank space

1. _____________________________ is differences in physical traits

2. Darwin sailed around the world on the HMS _____________________________________

3. Darwin studied the variation of organisms on the ______________________________ islands

4. Darwin is considered to be the __________________________________ of evolution

5. A long neck to eat tall plants is considered an _________________________________________

6. Adaptations allow organisms to better survive in their ________________________________________

7. The Galapagos Islands are located off the coast of ___________________ ____________________________

8. A change is species over time is called ____________________________________________________

Homework #5 – Charles Darwin

Darwin saw the following variations in finches amongst the Galapagos Islands.

Some finches had thick beaks and others had thin beaks, depending on their diet.

Using the picture to the left, choose which bird would eat the following diets:

1. Soft berries:____________________________

2. Thick nuts:______________________________

3. Grass:____________________________________

4. Seeds:____________________________________

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father evolution change

adaptation Beagle Galapagos

variation environment South America

5. BONUS: WHY DID DARWIN OBSERVE VARIATIONS AMONG ISLAND SPECIES?

Charles Darwin: The Origin of SpeciesFew people have changed the world with the power of an idea. Charles Darwin, the British naturalist who lived during the 1800s, was one of them. Darwin’s legendary book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection; or, the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, is frequently listed as one of the greatest books ever written. The three critical ideas he developed in it are:

The fact that evolution occurs. The theory of natural selection is the driving force or mechanism behind the process

of evolution.

The concept of phylogeny, that all forms of life are related to one another genealogically, through their pedigree or "family's roots." (common ancestry)

Darwin began developing these ideas as a result of his experiences during a five-year voyage on the British survey vessel H.M.S. Beagle, which sailed around the world on a mapping expedition during the early 1830s. Darwin was on board to work as the ship's naturalist, to record information about the geology, sea life, land animals and plants, and people that the Beagle would discover. When he set sail in 1831, Darwin was twenty-two years old, fresh out of college, fascinated with science, and deeply interested in geology and natural history. He was planning to become a clergyman, partly because he thought it would allow him enough free time to pursue his other interests.

As the mid-1800s approached, the idea of evolution posed a serious challenge to the then-popular view that species were unchanging fixtures of nature. This concept, called the Fixity of Species, was a perspective that European zoologists and botanists adopted as part of their culture, to reflect Western religion and the story of creation as laid out in the Bible. A key feature of the scientific argument for "fixity" was the notion that the structure of each species was based on a model, ideal form.

Darwin allowed himself to wonder if species were fixed or prone to evolution. With the intense experience of five years of living and working on the Beagle, collecting and describing a vast number and variety of natural history specimens, he developed into a first-rate naturalist – actually, the best in the world. He came to see species differently than those who saw perfection in them. Darwin did not focus on the sameness of individuals; rather, he thought it was important that individuals, like you and I, vary

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in spite of the fact that we belong to the same species. He realized that the variations could become the raw material for evolutionary change.

One of the clues that moved Darwin to totally accept the principle of evolution involved a group of small birds called mockingbirds. Mockingbirds are unspectacular animals with a wingspan of about 10 inches. They live in many habitats in North, Central, and South America, from southern Canada to Chile and Argentina. Darwin observed and collected them on the Galapagos, a cluster of small islands off the coast of Ecuador, and sent his specimens back to London for study. After the voyage, Darwin was surprised to le arn that he had misclassified some of the birds because it was difficult for him to tell the species apart from the subspecies. The physical traits of mockingbird species and subspecies blended into one another. For Darwin, this meant that the guidelines he had been trained to use to identify and classify animal and plant species, based on the idea that each one ought to have an idealized "perfect" form - Fixity of Species - was an arbitrary rule created by some scientists, nothing more than an untested assumption. It logically followed that if species were not designed to be a series of perfect individual replicates, evolutionary change - or "transmutation" of one species into another - was a possibility.

A second clue that led Darwin to embrace evolution had to do with fossils. Fossils are formed when an organism dies and its remains become hardened by absorbing minerals from the earth in which they were buried. Thus, fossils are direct evidence of life in the past and they have great importance when considering a time-dependent concept such as evolution. In Argentina, Darwin collected fossils of gigantic armor-plated beasts, megatheres, which were unlike anything else anywhere in the world – nearly. Only the tank-like armadillos, which Darwin had also seen in South America, bore any resemblance to them. Considering these extinct and living forms together, Darwin theorized that megatheres and armadillos might be related. He thought they might be part of a large group of South American mammals that had evolved body armor as a protective adaptation. He speculated that an ancient "cousin" of the megatheres might have been the ancestor of the armadillo.

Darwin collected pieces of the evolutionary puzzle during his five years of sailing on the Beagle, but to solve the puzzle by putting the pieces together into a basic model for the public to see would take him several more decades of effort. His work was capped by publication of Origins in 1859, more than twenty years after he began his voyage on the Beagle. Origins was immediately recognized as a major scientific success. In one of the quirkiest episodes in the history of science, this happened to be the second time that Darwin published his explanation of evolution.

Some people were less than happy with the book’s publication. Since its central idea was that evolution is an ever-present, unstoppable, fundamental law of nature, Origins became an angry flashpoint for those who cared less about the biological history of animals and plants than they cared about the deeper implications of the really big idea it represented – that in the middle 1800s there were new, logically sound, evidence-based ways of looking at life that challenged the religious ways of thinking that had been broadly accepted for centuries. Darwin knew that evolution was one of the most important ideas for the human species to comprehend. He knew

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that seeing us from an evolutionary perspective was more than peering through a telescope to look back at our own primitive origins. Evolution was also a mirror and a microscope for looking at ourselves as we are today.

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Name:________________________________ Per:______

Mutations, Evolution, Fitness & Darwin

Practice #6 – Mutation, evolution, fitness & Darwin

Directions: Choose 10 of the terms above and define them below

TERM DEFINTION

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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Mutation Adaptation Creationism Population

Point mutation Fitness Controversy Darwin

Frameshift mutation Variation Species Evolution

Evidence for Evolution

1. Vocabulary:

a. Fossil: Trace of an organism from the pastb. Geography: The study of physical features of the earthc. Embryology: Branch of biology concerned with the study of embryos (fertilized

cells)d. Anatomy: The study of the body

2. What was darwin’s evidence?

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1. Fossils: Showed that organisms changed over timeFound that older organisms are found on the bottom of rock

2. Geography: Darwin saw that island plants and animals looked alike,

but were not identical to species on South AmericaThought that different environments favored different traitsOver time, new traits became established on the islands

3. Embryology: Study of embryos and developmentFound that embryos of different species were similarEXAMPLE: The gills of fish were the ears of bird, reptile, and mammals

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #7 – Evidence for evolutionDirections: Use the vocabulary in the word bank above to answer the following questions in complete sentences

1. What are the four sources for evolution, as observed by Darwin?

2. Why did Darwin think that the finches looked different on the various islands?

3. How did fossils provide evidence for evolution?

4. What is embryology?

5. When studying anatomy, Darwin found homologous structures. What are homologous structures?

6. How did geography provide evidence for evolution?

7. Give one example of how embryology showed evidence for evolution

Homework #6 – Evidence for evolution

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4. Anatomy: Compared body parts of different speciesHomologous structures: Similar in structure, used for different thingsAnalogous structures: Used for same thing, looks different

Homologous structure Fossils Organisms

Analogous structure Geography Fish gills

Anatomy Embryology Variation

Directions: Match each piece of evidence for evolution to its description1. Anatomy a. Darwin saw that island plants and animals looked

alike, but were slightly different

2. Geography b. Darwin saw that embryos of different species were similar

3. Embryology c. Traces of organisms from the past showed that they change over time

4. Fossils d. Studying the bodies of different species showed that they have similar structures, even if used for different things

Real Life Evidence

1. Evidence of Whale Evolution: (pg. 318 Biology Book) a. Fossils provide evidence that whales came from hoofed mammalsb. Transitional fossils show characteristics of both land mammals and whales

2. Actual fossils

3. What the

fossils showed

a. Fossils showed that whales came from mammals millions of years ago

b. Based off the fossils, scientists predicted the various species in between

4. The Fossils

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a. Dorudun: 40 million years agoi. Hind legs useless on land

ii. Shorter neck and longer tails = similar to today’s whalesb. Ambulocetus: 50 million years ago

i. “Walking whale that swims”ii. Forearms had fingers and small hoofs

iii. Feet were for swimmingc. Elomeryx: 52 million years ago

i. Whale shaped skullii. Teeth for hunting fish

iii. Ear bones in between land and aquatic mammals

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #8 – Real life evidenceDirections: Use the Venn Diagram below to compare and contrast the Dorudon fossil with the Elomeryx fossil

homework #8 – Real life evidenceDirections: Using the diagrams on the previous page, answer the following questions

1. Fossils showed that whales evolved froma. lizardsb. land mammalsc. birds

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2. Whales came from mammalsa. hundreds of years agob. thousands of years agoc. millions of years ago

3. The dorudon fossils hada. No hind legsb. Hind legs that were useless on landc. Powerful hind legs for land running

4. The Abulocetus fossil hada. Forearms with fingers b. No forearmsc. Forearms without fingers

5. The Elomeryx fossil hada. Teeth for fish eatingb. Teeth for huntingc. Teeth for berry eating

Theory of Natural Selection

1. Vocabulary:

a. Natural Selection: Process in which individuals that have inherited beneficial traits produce more offspring than do other individuals

b. Beneficial: Good, helpfulc. Population: All the individuals of a species that live in an aread. Species: A group of organisms so similar to each other that they can breed and

produce fertile offspringe. Fertile: Able to produce offspring

2. Darwin’s theory of natural selection

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5. The good variation will be more common and over time new species will be made!

1. Organisms reproduce with each other

2. In most species, only a small percentage will SURVIVE to reproduce

Natural Selection

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #9 – Natural selection

Directions: Use the word bank above to fill in the blank space1. A ___________________________ adaptation is one that will help an organism survive and reproduce2. _________________________came up with the theory of natural selection3. A _______________________________ is a group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile

offspring4. An ______________________________________ is a feature that allows an organism to better survive in its

environment 5. The ability to produce offspring is called being __________________________________6. The process in which individuals that have inherited beneficial traits produce more offspring

than do other individuals is called _______________________________ _____________________________________7. The differences among individuals in a species is called ________________________________________8. Good adaptations among individuals in a population will eventually be the most

_______________________________________9. A _______________________________________ is all the individuals of a species that live in an area

homework #9 – Natural selection

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3. There are variations in individuals in a population, and these traits can be passed on

4. Whether an individual will survive in their environment depends on how well adapted they are

Better adapted = more “fitness” = more likely to survive and reproduce!

Species Fertile Natural Selection

Population Variation Darwin

Beneficial Common Adaptation

Directions: For each of the following organisms, circle the adaptation that you think would become the most common over time

Natural Selection PRACTICE

Directions: Reading the following situations and identify the key concepts of Darwin’s theory of natural selection

There are 3 types of polar bears: ones with thick coats, ones with thin coats, and ones with medium coats. It is fall, soon to be winter. The temperatures are dropping rapidly and the bears must be kept

warm, otherwise they will freeze to death. Many of the bears have had 2 cubs each, but due to the extreme temperatures, many mothers only have one cub left.

1. Which type of polar bear will not benefit from natural selection?

2. What are the variations within the polar bear population?

3. Which type of polar bear is the most fit in their environment?

4. Predict how the gene pool will change over time

5. How will natural selection work on the polar bear population?

6. Identify the following in the polar bear population:

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5. Fish a. Fast swimmerb. Long tailc. Big eyes

6. Froga. Short tongueb. Loud “ribbet”c. Camouflaged skin

7. Ducka. Big billb. Webbed feetc. Dull feathers

8. Wolfa. Short nailsb. Friendly personalityc. Thick coat

1. Polar Beara. Skinnyb. White coatc. Tired

2. Molea. Short tongueb. Good hearingc. Sharp claws

3. Doga. Good hearingb. Short legsc. Black coat

4. Eaglea. Soft feathersb. Sharp talonsc. White head

a. Beneficial adaptation:___________________________________________

b. Negative adaptation:____________________________________________

c. Species:___________________________________________________________

d. Population:_______________________________________________________

What is natural selection?Directions: Write one paragraph explaining what natural selection is in your own words

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Genetic Variation1. Vocabulary:

a. Variation: The heritable difference that exist in every population

2. What causes variation?

MUTATIONS!3. Why does variation matter?

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Natural selection acts on genetic variation!

a. Variation means there are differences within a population

b. Beneficial variation = more likely to survive and reproduce

c. Variations create beneficial adaptations over time

4. Adaptations

Picture Description of adaptation Why variation is beneficial

Cheetah that has extra long legs that make it run faster than average

The giraffe’s extra long neck

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice & Homework #10 – Genetic VariationDirections: Answer the following questions in FULL SENTENCES, using your own words

1. Would evolution happen if there was no genetic variation?

2. What causes genetic variation?

3. Explain what a beneficial variation is

4. What does natural selection act upon?

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5. Give one example of a beneficial adaptation in wolves

6. Which individuals in a species will survive and reproduce?

7. What is the vocabulary word for the ability of an organism to produce more offspring relative to other members of its population?

8. What is an adaptation?

9. Explain natural selection

10.Why is variation within a population important?

Why Does the Cheetah Lack Variation?

The cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, is the sole member of its genus.

About 10,000 years ago - because of climate changes - all but one species of the cheetah, jubatus, became extinct. With the drastic reduction in their numbers, close relatives were forced to breed, and the cheetah became genetically inbred. This has caused genetic issues that today greatly add to the threat to their survival.

The study of biological inheritance is called "genetic research." Genes, which are composed of DNA, store the information that an individual inherits from his or her parents. Genes in one animal vary from the same genes in another animal of the same species. By looking at the amount of variation existing in genes, scientists, called "geneticists" can begin to understand the relationships of animals within population, and how infectious diseases may affect that population. Also, by comparing the amount of variation between different species, geneticists can help us understand the evolutionary process.

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When geneticists looked at the amount of variation within the genes of the cheetah, they found that cheetahs exhibit much lower levels of variation than other mammals. In most species, related individuals share about 80 percent of the same genes. With cheetahs, this figure rises to approximately 99 percent. 

The genetic inbreeding in cheetahs has led to low survivorship (a large number of animals dying), poor sperm quality, and greater susceptibility to disease. Inbred animals suffer from a lack of genetic diversity. This means cheetahs lack the ability to adjust to sudden changes in the environment, such as disease epidemics, and have unusually high susceptibility to certain viruses. For example, if a virus gets into a healthy population of lions, not every animal dies; just some do, because lions are genetically diverse. But if every animal is genetically the same, like the cheetah, and one gets infected, all of them may become infected and die off. Because of their lack of genetic diversity, a deadly virus could wipe out all of the worlds' wild cheetahs instead of just the susceptible animals. It depends on a species' genetic differences.

Evolution eliminates traits in organisms that are least suited for survival. Some of the decline in the cheetah's genetic diversity is accounted for by its specialization through natural selection. The decrease in genetic diversity resulting from natural selection has benefited the species' survival as it has made the cheetah better adapted to its environment. However, the effects of this occurrence are small when compared to the effects of the inbreeding that occurred 10,000 years ago from a population bottleneck.

To increase genetic diversity in captivity, zoos take great care to make sure that only unrelated animals mate. Scientists are working on ways to enhance breeding through artificial insemination, and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Because of genetic inbreeding, male cheetahs have poor sperm quality. Abnormal sperm cannot swim properly, reducing the chance of fertilizing eggs and producing offspring. Artificial insemination (A-I) is a laboratory technique wherein scientists place sperm in the reproductive tract of a female. This means the sperm have less distance to swim before reaching the eggs. Mating between male and female animals does not take place. Artificial insemination has produced cheetah cubs in the United States. Using these technologies, A-I and IVF, semen, and eggs can be collected from wild Namibian Cheetahs for use in captive breeding programs. Because Namibia has the largest population of cheetahs, the genes represented in this population are important to captive cheetah survival worldwide.

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Main Idea:

Supporting Detail:

Main Idea:

Supporting Detail:

Main Idea:

Supporting Detail:

Main Idea:

Speciation1. Vocabulary:

a. Speciation: The rise of two or more species from one existing speciesb. Reproductive isolation: Members of populations can no longer mate successfullyc. Behavioral isolation: Isolation caused by differences in courtship or mating

behaviorsd. Geographic isolation: Physical barriers that divide a populatione. Temporal isolation: Timing prevents reproduction between populations

2. Types of speciation

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Speciation

Behavioral Isolation

Geographic Isolation

Temporal Isolation

Reproductive Isolation

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #11 – Speciation

1. What are the three ways that new species arise?

2. How does geographic isolation prevent species from mating (reproductive isolation)

3. How does temporal isolation prevent species from mating (reproductive isolation)

4. How does behavioral isolation prevent species from mating (reproductive isolation)?

5. Explain in your own words how new species are formed

Homework #11 – Speciation

Directions: Use the word bank above to indicated whether each of the following are examples of behavioral, geographic, or temporal isolation

1. Mate at different times of the year:___________________________________________________________________

2. Separated by a river:__________________________________________________________________________________

3. Different mating rituals:______________________________________________________________________________

4. Populations separated on islands:___________________________________________________________________

5. Populations of parrots mate at different times of the day:_________________________________________

6. Populations of deer separated by mountains:_______________________________________________________

7. Differences in courtship songs:______________________________________________________________________

8. Populations of fish separated by land:______________________________________________________________

9. Populations of peacocks with different mating dances:____________________________________________

10. Population A mates in the Spring, Population B mates in the Fall:________________________________

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Behavioral isolation Geographic isolation Temporal isolation

Summer Night Lightsby Genny Fannucchi

Lightning bugs....Have you ever wondered about the small, blinking creatures that light up summer nights? Lightning bugs, also called fireflies, are not simply bugs and are not flies. They are beetles and part of a scientific family that contains the largest order of living things—290,000 species at last count. In fact, there are about 136 different species of fireflies illuminating earth's summer nights.

Fireflies are easy to locate. Go outside at different times during the evening and watch for small twinkling lights in the air. Good places to find fireflies are over meadows or lawns and at the edge of woods or streams. Fireflies are carnivorous. They eat other insects, small animals in the soil, and snails. Fireflies overwinter as larvae are buried in the soil and emerge in the spring to feed. In summer, they pupate for about 2½ weeks within a small earthen cell before emerging as adults. The adult fireflies signal each other with their lights and mate. The female's eggs are laid a few days after mating, on or slightly under soil. The eggs hatch in 4 weeks. The larvae, once hatched, begin to feed until fall. They burrow underground and overwinter.

The summer evening light shows that you see are performed by male fireflies. They flash patterns of light to females. The females signal in response from perches in or near the ground. When the male sees the female's flash he continues to signal and moves closer. Eventually, through a series of flashes, they find each other and mate. Each species of firefly sends different mating signals. In fact, a beetle specialist or a keen observer can recognize most species by the number, duration, and time lapses between flashes.

The male firefly of the species Photinus pyralis, beams a single half-flash during a forward rising flight movement. It looks like the letter "J." The female responds with a single flash. Another species, Photinus consumilis, signals his mate with a rapid succession of flashes. She responds with two beams. In general, males will not fly down to a female that sends the wrong species signal. But, some females of differing species have evolved the ability to mimic the response flashes of species other than their own. As the male flies down to a mimicking female, he is captured and eaten, gulp!

The light given off by fireflies during their abdominal flashes is called bioluminescence. It happens when oxygen and the organic compound luciferin react together in the presence of the enzyme, lucifereace. This creates light. Although other insects can produce light, fireflies are the only insects that can flash their light on and off in distinct signals. Even the eggs and larvae of some firefly species glow. That's where the name "glow worm" comes from.

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #12 – Summer Night lights

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1. What type of speciation did the article talk about?

2. How were the mating rituals different in different species?

3. What did you learn from the article?

4. How does speciation happen over time?

5. Explain the connection between speciation and evolution

Name:________________________________ Per:______

Practice #13 – Pre-TEST PRACTICE

1. What is the difference between a muat

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