Evolution Lab Lesson

INTRODUCTION
All living organisms have the ability to produce another organism through reproduction.
Reproduction uses deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to pass information from parent to offspring.
DNA houses all of the information needed to produce new cells or to run cellular processes.
Every type of organism uses DNA, the macromolecule of inheritance. In the oldest,
simplest organisms, reproduction started as an asexual process in which a cell copied its DNA
and other cellular components to produce a new genetically identical offspring. In time, sexual
reproduction evolved, in which different individuals combine DNA to form a new, genetically
different offspring.

Growth and development is another characteristic shared by all life. Growth and
development are the processes by which a cell increases in size and function and divides to
produce a multicellular organism. Organisms have evolved many approaches to growth and
development: they can be fast, such as during the short life of a fruit fly; or as complicated as
the development of an elephant, which involves trillions of cell divisions, along with coordinated
cell movement and even cell death to produce the complex body of an elephant.

Growth, development, and regular cellular functions require energy (chemical energy to fuel
reactions). The energy fueling cellular processes comes from the environment; this energy may
be solar or chemical, or originate from another source. The processes that organisms use to
harness energy have become increasingly complex over time, from the simple process of
breaking down small molecules to creating very large and complex molecules during a process
like photosynthesis, which creates sugars for plants.

In addition, organisms detect and respond to changes to their external environment while
managing their internal environment. The means of sensing the external environment has
evolved from simple receptors in an organism’s cell membrane to the complex network of
sensory neurons that humans use in their five senses. An organism’s management of constant
internal conditions through many regulatory channels is homeostasis. Homeostasis is simple
in a single-celled organism, as compared to the challenge of managing a trillion cells within
multicellular organisms.

Finally, populations of organisms evolve. Evolution is the change over time in a lineage of
organisms. Over time, populations of organisms change, ultimately through changes in the
genetics of the population. All lifeforms either evolve to survive in changing environments, or go
extinct.

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OVERVIEW
This lab experiment will test how natural selection can change populations over time, how the
environment influences change, and illustrate the effects of invasive species. Please read
through the entire lab plan and do the Prior to performing the lab instructions before starting
any of your lab assignments. All figures in the lab are adapted from Discover Biology.

OBJECTIVES STUDENT WORKSHEETS

EXPERIMENTAL ■ Describe the process of Worksheet 1: Birds of your region

OBJECTIVES evolution by natural selection.
AND Worksheet 2: Evolutionary
SUBMISSIONS ■ Determine how invasive species research
influence survival.
Worksheet 3: Evolution
■ Test how variables such as food experiment
can determine physical selection.

Birds of your Region

INTRODUCTION
Life is not defined by one word, phrase, or sentence, but there is unity in life. One unifying
characteristic of all life is evolution: all life-forms evolve, or change through variations in the
genetic characteristics of populations over time. Such changes can lead to the evolution of
completely new groups of organisms. The identity of the first life-form is not known, but the
basic characteristics common to all life-forms indicate that all life shares a single common
ancestor. From this common ancestor, life has evolved over billions of years, establishing many
lines of descendants, or lineages. There is no written record of how evolution shaped
populations of organisms throughout time, so scientists use many forms of evidence to create
evolutionary trees. Fossils provide direct evidence of ancestral life-forms that can be compared
to living organisms, revealing shared features that indicate the common ancestry of different
groups of organisms. Living organisms may also have vestigial structures, like the human
tailbone, that provide evidence of descent from life-forms that still actively use those structures.
Evidence of an evolutionary link to ancestral organisms is also provided by studies of the stages
in embryonic development of animals, where ancestral links not visible in the adult organisms
become evident. This technique allowed biologists to correctly place barnacles with crustaceans,
for example. The barnacle adult form is quite different from that of shrimp and lobster adults,
but the early embryonic stages are quite similar. The addition of new technologies, including the
comparison of DNA and genes, also enables scientists to evaluate the relatedness of lineages.
As the variation of life-forms, or biodiversity, expanded over time, the physical environment
and existence of other life-forms shaped the evolutionary success of surviving lineages. A
species is a group of organisms that can breed, and a population is a group of interacting
individuals of a single species located within a particular area. Species that exist today display
inherited features that proved useful for the survival of their ancestors—these features were
passed on through time precisely because older generations survived to pass them to their

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descendants.
Biodiversity is important to the success of life because greater diversity allows for more and
different ways of coping with external challenges. In populations, sexual reproduction

yields more diverse offspring, increasing the likelihood of offspring with new combinations of
characteristics that may prove useful to continued survival.
Survival of a population depends not only on the population’s diversity, but also on the diversity
of the surrounding environment. Biodiversity is also important to the survival of whole
ecosystems. Ecosystems with greater biodiversity are more stable and resilient than are less
diverse ecosystems. It is easier for ecosystems to recover from droughts, disease, or other
environmental challenges if they comprise several different species, because some of those
species may be capable of coping with the environmental stress even if others are not.
This worksheet will help to identify which three birds you will be using in your experiment for
evolution. First, you will find your birds and describe your birds. For any international student, if
you are having trouble with getting valid information, you can use DC as your location. Prior to
performing the lab, you should search for the definitions of the following terms: introduced
species, invasive species, endemic species, biogeography, and niche.

WHAT IS YOUR HOME LOCATION?

________________________________________

FIND YOUR BIRDS

1. Go outside and take a picture of a bird in your neighborhood.
2. Go to the Audubon Society’s website to identify your bird. The easiest way to do this is to
go to the bird guide site and enter your region. This will bring up all the birds in your
region. You can search by size, coloring, bird type, etc. or just scroll through and see
which one your bird is.

- European starling

3. Determine the characteristics of your bird (required characteristics listed below) and
whether it is native or introduced.
a. If it is introduced, great!, record the characteristics for this species then go
back to the original list of birds and find 2 native birds. Have fun and pick
something different. Fill in your two native birds’ characteristics.

- Starling: 8 1/2" (22 cm). Short tail, thin straight bill. Plumage black, with purple
and green gloss in spring and summer. In fresh fall plumage, heavily marked
with white spots, which gradually wear off during winter. Bill bright yellow in
breeding season, with base of lower mandible blue in males, pink in females.
Bill duller at other seasons. Juveniles (seen in flocks in summer) very
different, all dusty gray, with dark bills.
- Bluejay: 12" (30 cm). Large and flashy, dull blue-gray on back, bright blue on
wings and tail. Note crest, black necklace, white wing-bars and tail corners.
Other blue-colored jays lack white pattern in wings and tail. Bluebirds and
buntings are much smaller.
- Northern Flicker: 12" (30 cm). Brown back with narrow black bars, black chest
patch, spots on belly. Eastern "Yellow-shafted" form has bright yellow under

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 wings and tail, red crescent on back of head, tan face, gray crown; male has
black mustache stripe. Western "Red-shafted" has salmon-pink under wings
and tail, gray face, brown crown; male has red mustache stripe. Where the
forms meet (southwestern Canada, western Great Plains) they interbreed
freely, producing many intermediates.

b. If it is native, record the characteristics for this species then go back to the original
list and start clicking… or you could just google your region and introduced or
non-native bird species and your will likely find something. Then go back to the
Audubon website to find the bird and fill in the general characteristics below.
4. If there are characteristics you can’t find on Audubon, please use these other
resources: Cornell Bird Lab, Bird Web, Animal Diversity Web,

Figure 1.1 Guide to measuring beak length versus body length.

5. Estimating beak length (use figure 1.1 as a guide). Using a profile picture, you have to
use a picture where the tail is straight so search through the pictures to find the best
picture.
6. If you have a short and straight-necked bird, measure on your computer from the tail
to the neck, then the neck to the end of the beak. Add these two measurements
together and record in the chart under picture body length.
7. If you have a long neck or a not straight tail to neck measurement, measure from the
tail to the base of the neck, then each segment of the neck until you reach the base of
the head, then measure from the highest point of the neck to the tip of the beak. Add
these measurements together and record in the chart under picture body length.
8. If you have a not straight to neck measurement, take the measurement from the tail
to where the body is directly below the middle of the neck, then add the
measurement of that point to the area of the head in the middle of the beak and then
the measurement of the head point to the end of the beak.
9. Lastly, measure the length of the beak on the screen, record this in your chart. a.
Plug this information into the formula below:
(Picture Beak Length X Average Body Length)/Picture Body Length
b. Record this in corrected beak length
[Link] this for each of your three birds.

INSERT PICTURE OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD BIRD!

NATIVE SPECIES 1

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 GENUS: Cyanocitta cristata SPECIES: Blue jay

COMMON NAME GEOGRAPHIC Present all year in

(IF ANY): RANGE: most of range but
many migrate
south in the fall but
stay mostly in US
when migrate south

HABITAT: Oak and pine FOOD SOURCE: Omnivorous -

woods, suburban vegetable matter
garden, groves, (75% of diet for year,
towns, deciduous higher percentage in
or mixed woods winer), acorns,
avoiding coniferous beechnuts and other
forest — oak or nuts, seeds, grain,
beech trees berries, small fruits,
insects, spiders,
snails, birds eggs,
rodents, frogs, baby
birds, carrion

AVERAGE BODY 11” AVERAGE BODY 2.3-2.8 ounces

LENGTH: WEIGHT:

PICTURE BODY 10” PICTURE BEAK 1”

LENGTH: LENGTH:

CORRECTED
BEAK LENGTH:

NATIVE SPECIES 2
GENUS: Colaptes Auratus SPECIES: Northern Flicker

COMMON NAME Woodpeckers GEOGRAPHIC From Alaska and

(IF ANY): RANGE: Canada are strongly
migratory traveling
east migrating by
day. Red Shafter
flickers migrate
shorter distances
moving southward
into lowlands

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 HABITAT: Open forest, FOOD SOURCE: Ants and other insects
woodlots, groves, (majorly ants) also
towns, semi open beetles, termites,
country - anywhere caterpillars, fruit and
with trees berries. Occasionally
easts seeds and nuts

AVERAGE BODY 12” AVERAGE BODY 4.2 ounces

LENGTH: WEIGHT:

PICTURE BODY 7 1/2” PICTURE BEAK 1 1/2”

LENGTH: LENGTH:

CORRECTED 4.2 cm
BEAK LENGTH:

INTRODUCED SPECIES
GENUS: Sterns Vulgaris SPECIES: European starling

COMMON NAME Common starling GEOGRAPHIC Southern birds may

(IF ANY): RANGE: be permanent
residents but man y
northern birds
move south in fall.
Migrates mostly by
day

HABITAT: Cities, parks, farms, FOOD SOURCE: Insects, berries and

open groves, fields, seeds —> beetles,
farm country, grasshoppers, flies,
suburbs and cities caterpillars, spiders,
snakes, earthworms,
fruits, berries, flowers

AVERAGE BODY 8 1/2” AVERAGE BODY 2.5-3.5 ounces

LENGTH: WEIGHT:

PICTURE BODY 5 1/2” PICTURE BEAK <1/2”

LENGTH: LENGTH:

CORRECTED <1/2”
BEAK LENGTH:

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Evolutionary Research
INTRODUCTION
Scientists called systematists study the relationships among groups of different organisms,
depicting them in evolutionary trees. Like a family tree, an evolutionary tree traces lineage, or
lines of descent (Figure .1.2). An evolutionary tree is a hypothesis of evolutionary relationships
based on scientific studies, including fossils, embryonic development, vestigial traits, and genetic
studies.

Created by Tara Scully The George Washington University tscsully@[Link]

Figure 1.2 Evolutionary tree
Evolutionary relationships are defined by the presence of similar features in a group of
organisms, which have evolved in lineages from a common ancestor. A feature that a
common ancestor passes down to all of its descendants is a shared derived feature and
clearly defines these descendants as a group of closely related organisms. Biologists
use the term “shared derived feature” to refer to features that originate with the
most recent common ancestor of a group. Shared derived features occur between the
branches of an evolutionary tree because they evolve in one group and are then shared
by all of the descendants of that group. For example, Figure 1.3 shows the evolutionary
tree of all life.

Created by Tara Scully The George Washington University tscsully@[Link]

Figure 1.3 Evolutionary tree of life

The lineage of life has many branches, and each branch represents a new line of descendants.
The base of the tree represents the common ancestor of all of the branches on the tree. Bacteria
were the first group to evolve from early cells. The evolutionary innovations that we see in
Archaea (its shared derived features that appeared after bacteria on the evolutionary time line)
are all related to cellular processes such as metabolism.
Instead of having simple chemical reactions to produce energy, Archaea evolved many more
complex reactions to harness energy from their environment. This variety is shared with the
groups that evolved later: the protists, plants, fungi, and animals—descendants of Archaea.
Above the branching of Archaea, a more visible shared derived feature is the evolution of the
eukaryotic cell. Again, this shared derived feature is retained within the groups that evolved
later, such as the plants, fungi, and animals.
A major concept in this activity is that a shared derived feature, likely a more complex or more
efficient characteristic, is passed on to descendants because it is a feature that increases the
likelihood of survival. For example, all organisms in the domain Eukarya have eukaryotic cells
containing a nucleus and various cell compartments. One far more efficient characteristic that
evolved in these eukaryote cells was energy acquisition through specific cell compartments.
This worksheet expands your bird research to determine where they are located in the
evolutionary tree and what groups are most closely related to your birds. Prior to performing
the lab, you should search the following terms: Lineage, Geological Period, IUCN Red List,
adaptation, homologous and analogous traits.

Created by Tara Scully The George Washington University tscsully@[Link]

FIND YOUR BIRD IN THE EVOLUTIONARY TREE
1. Go to the website [Link]
2. In the upper right corner put each of your bird’s genus and species names and click
enter.
3. Screen shot the zoomed-in information of your bird and insert the screenshot below.
What is its status of your bird on the Conservation IUCN Red List?
4. Next zoom out to find a species of bird that you are familiar with that is closely
related to your bird and take a screen shot. Insert the screenshot below. 5. Indicate how
long ago this group evolved its own lineage separate from your bird. 6. Zoom out further
and determine what is the closest
related group of
birds?

NATIVE SPECIES 1
SCREENSHOT OF SPECIES
RED LIST CLASSIFICATION
SCREENSHOT OF RELATED
GROUP
LINEAGE DIVERGENCE
NATIVE SPECIES 2
SCREENSHOT OF SPECIES
RED LIST CLASSIFICATION
SCREENSHOT OF RELATED
GROUP
LINEAGE DIVERGENCE

INTRODUCED SPECIES
SCREENSHOT OF SPECIES
RED LIST CLASSIFICATION
SCREENSHOT OF RELATED GROUP
LINEAGE DIVERGENCE

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Evolution Experiment Worksheet
INTRODUCTION
Evolution is the change in genetic characteristics in populations over time. Microevolution
refers to small scale changes in a population; macroevolution is large-scale change leading to
the formation of new groups. There are four mechanisms that cause populations to evolve:
mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, and natural selection. Mutations are changes to the
sequence of DNA, potentially resulting in new characteristics within the populations. Gene flow
is the change in the distribution of characteristics, or alleles, resulting from migration. Genetic
drift occurs when chance incidents dramatically reduce the size of a population, affecting the
distribution of characteristics. Finally, natural selection is the result of unequal reproductive
success and the subsequent survival of individuals with specific characteristics in a population.
Each of these mechanisms contributes to microevolution within a population.
Macroevolution describes the formation and extinction of species over time. Macroevolution
is difficult to observe because it occurs over such long periods of time, but microevolution
occurs right before our eyes. Sometimes humans even affect the genetic makeup of
populations, either intentionally or unintentionally. An unintentional outcome of human
interaction with other populations is the
evolution of resistance. In general, resistance is the ability to withstand an opposing force, such
as antibiotics or pesticides.

This lab worksheet prompts you as you execute the guided experiment to complete the
experiment successfully, record the steps you took, and your results. Prior to performing the
lab, watch the following two videos: Brief overview of the Galapagos Finches and Galapagos
Finch Evolution

SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS
• Plate (either paper or solid)
• Dry erase marker
• Measuring tape
• Choose five food sources (you can use 5 different types of macaroni or beans but they
must have a large variation in size):
o Macaroni (different types can be used)
o Popcorn
o Dried beans (different types can be used)
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 o Rice
o Paperclip
o Toothpick
• Small brown paper bag

INSTRUCTIONS

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1. Using a dry erase marker if you are using a real plate or any type of marker is you are using
a disposable plate, mark it like clock, 12 o’clock at the top edge of the plate (or the part of the
plate furthest away from you), 6 o’clock at the bottom edge of the plate (or the part of the plate
closest to you directly across from 12 o’clock), then on the right side in the middle edge 3
o’clock and on the left side in the middle edge. These landmarks represent different habitats
that the birds can inhabit throughout the year.

[Link], measure and record the average size of your food sources. Take the size of 5 of the
same food sources (record in the table below).
If your food source is different in height versus length, measure the longest side of the food
source. Then determine the average size.

FOOD 1 2 3 4 5 AVERAGE
SOURCE

3. Randomly chose 3 of the 5 items you measured for each food source and place them into
the bag. (you should have a total of 15 potential food sources).
4. Pour the bag of food on to your plate, record the three food sources closest to the 12
o’clock mark on your plate. Record the type of food source and its average size which
you determined in the above table. Then take the three average sizes, add them up, and
divide by 3 and record that average in the table below.
5. Perform this 10 times to represent the change in the habitat over time. Then answer the
questions below.
6. Perform the same sampling for each of the other habitats. Record your answers below in
the tables.

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RESULTS FOR 12 O’CLOCK HABITAT
SEASON FOOD SOURCE 1 FOOD SOURCE 2 FOOD SOURCE 3 AVERAGE
SIZE OF
FOOD
SOURCE

10

RESULTS FOR 3 O’CLOCK HABITAT

SEASON FOOD SOURCE 1 FOOD SOURCE 2 FOOD SOURCE 3 AVERAGE
SIZE OF
FOOD
SOURCE

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 6

10

RESULTS FOR 6 O’CLOCK HABITAT

SEASON FOOD SOURCE 1 FOOD SOURCE 2 FOOD SOURCE 3 AVERAGE
SIZE OF
FOOD
SOURCE

10

RESULTS FOR 9 O’CLOCK HABITAT

SEASON FOOD SOURCE 1 FOOD SOURCE 2 FOOD SOURCE 3 AVERAGE
SIZE OF
FOOD
SOURCE

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 3

10

RESULT-BASED QUESTIONS
1. Based upon the corrected beak size for each of your birds, describe how their beak size
would change over the course of the 10 seasons.

CHANGES TO BIRD BEAK SIZE OVER TIME

HABITAT NATIVE BIRD 1 NATIVE BIRD 2 INTRODUCED BIRD

12 O’CLOCK

3 O’CLOCK

6 O’CLOCK

9 O’CLOCK

2. Would you expect the body length to change over time as well? Why or why not?

3. Would your introduced species become invasive? Why or why not?

Created by Tara Scully The George Washington University tscsully@[Link]