SIMULATING EVOLUTION ACTIVITY

Introduction: Today’s activity is designed to simulate evolution. You will work in groups of four. You will be predators (hunters). You will be hunting for prey (paper chips). Your prey will be on a cloth that will be their environment.

Background cloth’s color: Main color ______

Minor colors______

Design:______

Questions: You MUST answer these before beginning the activity

  1. Look at the colors of chips, and the color of your cloth/background. How do you think the numbers of each color will change? (In other words, do you think some will get hunted more than others?)
  1. Do you think the color/pattern of the background affects the chance of survival for specific colors? How/Why?
  1. What type of mutation/adaptation might help the population? What type might hurt? (Remember – helpful and harmful mutations)

Directions: You have been given a beaker of 100 paper chips of ten different colors. You also have a cloth that will serve as the environment. You will take turns “hunting”. If it is not your turn to hunt, you should have your back turned or your eyes closed. The survivors will reproduce, and we will take this activity through two generations.

  1. Lay the cloth out on your table.
  2. Count your chips to ensure that you have ten of each color.
  3. Distribute the 100 chips on the cloth and try to spread them out evenly.
  4. The first “hunter” will turn around and choose a chip. You are NOT to take your time or look for specific chips. Predators in nature hunt my instinct and vision – they pick the first prey they see.
  5. This cycle will continue until 75 chips have been hunted. As you hunt, count off – this will serve to keep track of how many chips you have, as well as indicate when it is the next person’s turn.
  6. At the end of your first hunting session, you should have 25 chips left. Record the colors in the chart below (Number at end of Hunt1).

STOP HERE…COUNT HOW MANY OF EACH COLOR YOU HAVE LEFT AND RECORD IN THE CHART. ADD UP THE TOTAL. IF IT DOES NOT EQUAL 25, YOU MUST START OVER.

  1. Each survivor will have three offspring. See me for offspring. Record the total number of each color (Number at Start of Gen2). Again, find the total before going on.
  2. Repeat steps 2-4.
  3. Record your results.

Color / Number at Start of Gen1 / Number at end of Hunt1 / Number at Start of Gen2 / Number at end of Hunt2 / Number at Start of Gen3
White / 10
Purple / 10
Green / 10
Yellow / 10
Black / 10
Red / 10
Brown / 10
Pink / 10
Blue / 10
Orange / 10
TOTAL / 100 / 100 / 100

Questions:

  1. How did the population change from the beginning of Generation 1 to the beginning of generation 3? (In other words, you started with an equal number of each color. Do you still have an equal number of each color, or do you now have more of some colors and less of others?)
  1. Why did this change occur?
  1. How would your results have been different if your background was all yellow? brown?
  1. What you observed in this activity simulates evolution. Write your own definition of evolution.