Project Summary
In this project you and a partner were supposed to research an organism and find out the evolutionary steps it took to reach the its present day form. We had to find an early ancestor and several transitional species. With this information we had to explain how natural and artificial selection played into the evolutionary steps. After all this we presented our findings to the class. For this project my partner and I researched the evolutionary timeline of the horse. We did so by creating a poster with pictures and informational of the horse’s ancestors.
Key Terms and Concepts
Evolution- The process through which organisms use advantageous mutations to slowly change into a species better suited for their environment. The theory of evolution was proposed by Charles Darwin in 1859 with the publishing of his book Origin of Species. Since then , it has been developed greatly. The theory states that:
Transitional species- Fossils or organisms that show the intermediate states between an ancestral form and that of its descendants are referred to as transitional forms.
Natural selection- the process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully. In a habitat there are red bugs and green bugs. The birds prefer the taste of the red bugs, so soon there are many green bugs and few red bugs. The green bugs reproduce and make more green bugs and eventually there are no more red bugs.
Adaptation- an inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival. Many animals have physical adaptations that serve as a disguise. They can hide out in the open because they blend into their environment. The adaptation that allows some animals to blend into their surroundings is camouflage. This is an example of an adaption.
Survival of the fittest- the individuals most suited to their environment survive. it actually refers to how well an organism is suited to its environment and it must also be able to produce lots of offspring. Predatory animals like wolves or lions have eyes in the front of their heads which aid in hunting, while prey animals like rabbits or antelopes have eyes on the sides of their heads, which helps them better spot predators.
- Variation exists among individuals in a species
- Individuals will compete for resources
- Competition would lead to the death of some while others would survive
- Individuals that had advantageous variations are more likely to survive and reproduce.
Transitional species- Fossils or organisms that show the intermediate states between an ancestral form and that of its descendants are referred to as transitional forms.
Natural selection- the process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully. In a habitat there are red bugs and green bugs. The birds prefer the taste of the red bugs, so soon there are many green bugs and few red bugs. The green bugs reproduce and make more green bugs and eventually there are no more red bugs.
Adaptation- an inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival. Many animals have physical adaptations that serve as a disguise. They can hide out in the open because they blend into their environment. The adaptation that allows some animals to blend into their surroundings is camouflage. This is an example of an adaption.
Survival of the fittest- the individuals most suited to their environment survive. it actually refers to how well an organism is suited to its environment and it must also be able to produce lots of offspring. Predatory animals like wolves or lions have eyes in the front of their heads which aid in hunting, while prey animals like rabbits or antelopes have eyes on the sides of their heads, which helps them better spot predators.
Reflection
This project is fairly easier than the others. From the beginning of this project my partner and I have been on top of it. We did all the research and drawings with in the first couple days and we had a lot of time to spare. This project I would say my leadership skills were top notch. I organized our duties and planned out our poster perfectly. What went poorly in our project was our presentation. Because we finished early we thought we were ahead of the game and just chilled for the rest of the time we had to work on it. This was a bad mistake. When we had to present to the class we were stuttering and didn’t know our lines. This cost us some points. I learned that even if you think you’re finished you should still go back because there are always ways to improve. Another thing I could improve on is engaging my teammates in the process. Our group had three members. While two would work diligently the other would slack off. If I had engaged him we might have had a better grade. A bump we had was our presentation like I had mentioned. The presentation wasn't well rehearsed and so we had a lot of mess ups here and there. But our work ethic in the first few days was exemplary and we thought we didn't need to do anything else.