Natural Selection On-Line Simulation

Introduction:

This simple online simulation will help you to understand the process of natural selection. In this game, you will be playing the role of a young bird. Your goal is to survive long enough to reproduce and pass on your genes to your offspring. Over the course of the game, your main concern is to find enough food.

As you progress through the game, pay close attention to what happens to the predators. For example: How is the population of the prey changing? How are the characteristics of the prey changing? What adaptations do they prey items have? To begin, access the “Evolution Experience” on the Natural History Museum’s website.

Procedure:

Step 1: Play through the entire game once. Try to stay alive as long as possible!

Step 2: Play through the entire game again; however, this time pay very close attention to the

situations that you (as a bird) are dealt.

Step 3: Answer the following analysis questions as you progress through the game.

Analysis:

First Year:

1 During your first winter, what is your major concern?

2) How many bugs must you eat to survive the winter?

3) How many bugs did you eat?

4) Did you survive the first winter? Was it easy to find bugs to eat? Why?

5) What proportion of the population of bugs are green vs blue?

Second Year:

6) Were you able to find a mate during your second year? Why or why not?

7) How many bugs must you eat to survive the winter?

8) How many bugs did you eat?

9) Did you survive your second winter? Was it easy to find bugs to eat? Why?

10) What proportion of the population of bugs are green vs. blue?

Third Year:

11) Were you able to find a mate during your third year? Why or why not?

12) To survive another winter, how many bugs must you eat?

13) How many bugs did you eat?

14) Did you survive your third winter?

15) How has the proportion of blue and green bugs within the population changed over time?

Fourth Year:

16) Were you able to find enough food to survive through the winter?

17) How many bugs did you eat?

18) What has happened to the blue bugs? What effect has your feeding behavior had on the color of the bugs?

Fifth Year:

19) How many bugs did you eat?

20) What has happened to the proportion of blue and green bugs within the population?

21) Was it easy to find bugs to eat? Why?

Sixth Year:

22) How many bugs did you eat?

23) What has happened to the proportion of blue and green bugs within the population?

24) Was it easy to find bugs to eat? Why?

Continue through the game until you are unable to survive!

Conclusion:

1) How many years did you survive? What caused your death?

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2) What adaptations did the bugs have that helped them to survive?

3) Overall, what happened to the proportion of the green and blue bugs within the population over the course of the game? Explain!

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