Name: _ Date:
Student Exploration: Evolution: Natural and Artificial Selection
Vocabulary: artificial selection, breed, chromosome, evolution, fitness, genotype, mutation,natural
selection, phenotype
[Note to teachers and students: This Gizmo was designed as a follow-up to the Evolution:Mutation
and Selection Gizmo. We recommend doing that activity before trying this one.]
Prior Knowledge Question (Do this BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
This illustration from an old textbook shows some of the over 150 different dog breeds that can be seen
around the world today. How do you think all of these different breeds were developed?
Different breeds have sexual attractions with other breeds making a different breed.
Gizmo Warm-up
Dog breeds and other varieties of domesticated animals were developed
through artificial selection. Over many generations,breeders selected
which animals to mate in order to select for desired traits. The
Evolution: Natural and Artificial Selection Gizmo allows you to try
your hand at breeding insects with a variety of colors. To begin, select
the Artificial selection option.
1. Drag the 10 insects into the breeding alcoves on the left side of the Gizmo.
A. How many breeding pairs are there? _5
B. How many offspring are produced? _20
2. Circled insects have mutations, or changes to their DNA. How many of the offspring insectsin this
generation have mutations? _2
2021
, Activity A:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Genotype and
• Select Natural selection.
phenotype
Question: How are genes inherited and modified over many generations?
1. Observe: The fitness of an insect is a measure of how well it is adapted to its environment.
A. What is the initial Average fitness of these insects? _50%
B. Click Play ( ), and observe the simulation for several generations. What occurs in each
generation? _The insects go to the breeding alcoves then reproduce and then a bird comes
and eat some of the insects, and the cycle just repeats itself.
C. Increase the Sim. speed by one level. Click Pause ( ) after 30 generations. What is the
Average fitness now? _51% It goes up one percent every time the insects gointo the
breeding alcoves.
2. Analyze: Set the Sim. speed to its slowest level. Click Play, and then Pause when theoffspring
appear. Choose a pair of parents in which both parents have a different color.
A. Move your cursor over a parent insect. The genes that control color make up an insect’s
genotype, while its actual color is its phenotype. Fill in the genotypes andphenotypes of
each parent below.
Parent 1 Parent 1 Parent 2 Parent 2
genotype phenotype genotype phenotype
Pink Red = _255 Red =255
Green = 213 Green = _255
Blue = _255 Blue = 255
Now list the genotypes of each of the four offspring below.
Offspring 1 Offspring 2 Offspring 3 Offspring 4
2021
Student Exploration: Evolution: Natural and Artificial Selection
Vocabulary: artificial selection, breed, chromosome, evolution, fitness, genotype, mutation,natural
selection, phenotype
[Note to teachers and students: This Gizmo was designed as a follow-up to the Evolution:Mutation
and Selection Gizmo. We recommend doing that activity before trying this one.]
Prior Knowledge Question (Do this BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
This illustration from an old textbook shows some of the over 150 different dog breeds that can be seen
around the world today. How do you think all of these different breeds were developed?
Different breeds have sexual attractions with other breeds making a different breed.
Gizmo Warm-up
Dog breeds and other varieties of domesticated animals were developed
through artificial selection. Over many generations,breeders selected
which animals to mate in order to select for desired traits. The
Evolution: Natural and Artificial Selection Gizmo allows you to try
your hand at breeding insects with a variety of colors. To begin, select
the Artificial selection option.
1. Drag the 10 insects into the breeding alcoves on the left side of the Gizmo.
A. How many breeding pairs are there? _5
B. How many offspring are produced? _20
2. Circled insects have mutations, or changes to their DNA. How many of the offspring insectsin this
generation have mutations? _2
2021
, Activity A:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Genotype and
• Select Natural selection.
phenotype
Question: How are genes inherited and modified over many generations?
1. Observe: The fitness of an insect is a measure of how well it is adapted to its environment.
A. What is the initial Average fitness of these insects? _50%
B. Click Play ( ), and observe the simulation for several generations. What occurs in each
generation? _The insects go to the breeding alcoves then reproduce and then a bird comes
and eat some of the insects, and the cycle just repeats itself.
C. Increase the Sim. speed by one level. Click Pause ( ) after 30 generations. What is the
Average fitness now? _51% It goes up one percent every time the insects gointo the
breeding alcoves.
2. Analyze: Set the Sim. speed to its slowest level. Click Play, and then Pause when theoffspring
appear. Choose a pair of parents in which both parents have a different color.
A. Move your cursor over a parent insect. The genes that control color make up an insect’s
genotype, while its actual color is its phenotype. Fill in the genotypes andphenotypes of
each parent below.
Parent 1 Parent 1 Parent 2 Parent 2
genotype phenotype genotype phenotype
Pink Red = _255 Red =255
Green = 213 Green = _255
Blue = _255 Blue = 255
Now list the genotypes of each of the four offspring below.
Offspring 1 Offspring 2 Offspring 3 Offspring 4
2021
