Evolution Lab
Finch Evolution Over 100 Years: Darwin Island vs. Wallace Island
Kristin Moeller
Tamu Hagwood
September 2, 2013
Evolution of Finches by Population and Land Size
Introduction and Purpose Finches reside on two islands, Darwin and Wallace. Parameters for one island will be changed to study the evolution of the finch’s beak size and population. This experiment will show basic principles of evolution by examining the finches over a time frame of 100 years. The purpose of this experiment is to understand factor that effect evolution of a species and biological and environmental factors that influence evolution by natural selection. Hypothesis- If the same species of finches populate a larger island (Darwin), then they will reproduce more and have better survival rates than a small, restricted island (Wallace).
Materials
The materials required for this experiment are a computer with internet connection and access to the Evolution Lab, which can be located in the BIO/101 student website.
Procedures
To begin this experiment, go to the Evolution Lab located with the University of Phoenix student website. Once at the lab’s page, click Start Lab. This will take you to an applet to view and change the inputs for variables. For this experiment, the variable inputs on Darwin Island will be changed and Wallace’s inputs will remain as a constant variable. The only variable that will be the same for both islands is the heritability. The following table shows what the final numbers for each variable are. After changing Darwin Islands’ inputs, you may now run the experiment. Darwin’s Island sized was changed to 1.0 km, double what Wallace Island is. Some consistency was wanted, so inheritability remained at 1.00 and Darwin’s variance of beak size went up to 1.00 instead of Wallace’s 0.7. The initial beak sized was increased by one inch on Darwin’s Island. Birds with the best-suited bodies and beaks for the particular environment survive and pass along the
Kristin Moeller
Tamu Hagwood
September 2, 2013
Evolution of Finches by Population and Land Size
Introduction and Purpose Finches reside on two islands, Darwin and Wallace. Parameters for one island will be changed to study the evolution of the finch’s beak size and population. This experiment will show basic principles of evolution by examining the finches over a time frame of 100 years. The purpose of this experiment is to understand factor that effect evolution of a species and biological and environmental factors that influence evolution by natural selection. Hypothesis- If the same species of finches populate a larger island (Darwin), then they will reproduce more and have better survival rates than a small, restricted island (Wallace).
Materials
The materials required for this experiment are a computer with internet connection and access to the Evolution Lab, which can be located in the BIO/101 student website.
Procedures
To begin this experiment, go to the Evolution Lab located with the University of Phoenix student website. Once at the lab’s page, click Start Lab. This will take you to an applet to view and change the inputs for variables. For this experiment, the variable inputs on Darwin Island will be changed and Wallace’s inputs will remain as a constant variable. The only variable that will be the same for both islands is the heritability. The following table shows what the final numbers for each variable are. After changing Darwin Islands’ inputs, you may now run the experiment. Darwin’s Island sized was changed to 1.0 km, double what Wallace Island is. Some consistency was wanted, so inheritability remained at 1.00 and Darwin’s variance of beak size went up to 1.00 instead of Wallace’s 0.7. The initial beak sized was increased by one inch on Darwin’s Island. Birds with the best-suited bodies and beaks for the particular environment survive and pass along the