Activity 3: Mystery Plant Adaptation - STEM Resource...
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© 2010. The Concord Consortium, Inc. page 1 Activity 3: Mystery Plant Adaptation In this activity, students pick up where they left off at the end of Activity 2. They return to the Virtual Greenhouse to examine the variation in offspring of another Mystery Plant. Again, students move plants to flower boxes that match their needs, but this time, they start with a different type of plant. Finally, students plant one plant type in the Virtual Field and observe how populations of plants can adapt to new environments over many, many generations due to inherent variations. Learning Goals Big Idea 3: Organisms and Their Environment • An organism thrives in specific environments that match its specific needs. • Selection based on water or sunlight would lead a population (not an individual) of plants to migrate from one area to another. Big Idea 7: Intraspecific Differences • Individuals of the same species may differ. • Not all offspring from the same parents look alike, even with respect to inherited traits. Big Idea 8: Adaptation/Evolution • Species are adapted to their environments and species adapt to changes in their environment. If the environment changes only certain species survive. • Organisms with traits best suited to their environment have better chances of survival. Big Idea 9: Heritability of Traits • Offspring inherit some, but not all, of their traits from their parents. • There are differences between traits that are inherited and traits that are not. Big Idea 10: Reproduction • Organisms have offspring. • Without reproduction, a plant or animal species cannot continue. Big Idea 11: Descent with modification • Species evolve from common ancestors. • Different species could arise from one species if different groups had different selection pressures. The Models In this activity, your students will use a model of the “Virtual Greenhouse” (page 2) that is nearly identical to the one at the end of Activity 2. In this case, the first parent plant is Leaf Size 2, with Leaf Sizes 1 and 3 as variations.
Transcript of Activity 3: Mystery Plant Adaptation - STEM Resource...
©2010.TheConcordConsortium,Inc. page1
Activity3:MysteryPlantAdaptation
Inthisactivity,studentspickupwheretheyleftoffattheendofActivity2.TheyreturntotheVirtual
GreenhousetoexaminethevariationinoffspringofanotherMysteryPlant.Again,studentsmoveplantstoflowerboxesthatmatchtheirneeds,butthistime,theystartwithadifferenttypeofplant.Finally,studentsplantoneplanttypeintheVirtualFieldandobservehowpopulationsofplantscanadaptto
newenvironmentsovermany,manygenerationsduetoinherentvariations.
LearningGoals
BigIdea3:OrganismsandTheirEnvironment
• Anorganismthrivesinspecificenvironmentsthatmatchitsspecificneeds.• Selectionbasedonwaterorsunlightwouldleadapopulation(notanindividual)ofplantsto
migratefromoneareatoanother.
BigIdea7:IntraspecificDifferences
• Individualsofthesamespeciesmaydiffer.• Notalloffspringfromthesameparentslookalike,evenwithrespecttoinheritedtraits.
BigIdea8:Adaptation/Evolution
• Speciesareadaptedtotheirenvironmentsandspeciesadapttochangesintheirenvironment.Iftheenvironmentchangesonlycertainspeciessurvive.
• Organismswithtraitsbestsuitedtotheirenvironmenthavebetterchancesofsurvival.
BigIdea9:HeritabilityofTraits
• Offspringinheritsome,butnotall,oftheirtraitsfromtheirparents.• Therearedifferencesbetweentraitsthatareinheritedandtraitsthatarenot.
BigIdea10:Reproduction
• Organismshaveoffspring.• Withoutreproduction,aplantoranimalspeciescannotcontinue.
BigIdea11:Descentwithmodification
• Speciesevolvefromcommonancestors.• Differentspeciescouldarisefromonespeciesifdifferentgroupshaddifferentselection
pressures.
TheModels
Inthisactivity,yourstudentswilluseamodelofthe“VirtualGreenhouse”(page2)thatisnearlyidenticaltotheoneattheendofActivity2.Inthiscase,thefirstparentplantisLeafSize2,withLeaf
Sizes1and3asvariations.
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Theflowersinthismodelproduceoffspringthatvaryfromtheparents.Thismeansthatoffspringmaynotallbesuitedtotheflowerboxtheyarefoundin.Makesureyourstudentsobservethedifferences
byclickingontheInformationToolandthenclickingoneachoftheplants.
StudentscanclicktheCarrybutton andthenclickonanyplantinthemodeltocarryittoanew
location.Havestudentsholdthemousedownastheydragtheplanttoadifferentflowerbox(therootswillbevisiblenow!).Whentheyletgoofthemouse,theplantwillbeplantedinanewlocation.
Figure1.Flowerboxmodel.
Onpage5(Figure2)oftheactivitythereisamodelthatissimilar,butnotidenticaltothefirst“VirtualField”modelofActivity2.Theplantsinthefieldnowproduceseedswithvariations.Thegoalofthismodelistohaveyourstudentsplantseedsofonlyonevarietyofplantsandobservethechangeinplant
populationovertime.Thereisonlyoneseedpacketbutton.Alsonoticethespeedsliderabovethemodel,whichspeedsupthemodel.Besuretopointthisouttostudentsaftertheyhavehadachancetoobservethemodelforafewgenerations.
Thegraphiskeytounderstandinghowthepopulationischanging.Whenstudentsstartthe
modeltherewillonlybeonelineonthegraph,butasthemodelrunstherewillbemoreandmorevarietiesofplants.Spendtimeasaclassinterpretingthegraph.UsetheInformation
Tooltoclickonplantstodeterminewhichsizeleavestheyhaveandmapthosetothegraph.
Makesureyourunthemodelbeforeyourstudentsstartthisactivitytoensurethatyouarefamiliarwith
themodelandthecontrolbuttons.Belowaredescriptionsofthecontrolbuttons.
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Figure2.VirtualFieldmodelwithplantsthroughoutthefieldandcorrespondinggraph,showinghealthy
(flowering)plants.
ClickthePlaybuttontostartthemodel.UsethePausebuttontostopit.
ClicktheInformationToolandthenclickonaplantinthemodelforinformationabouttheplant.
Clickaseedpacketiconandthenclickinthefieldtoplantaseedofthatvariety.Eachseedpacketcontains20seeds.(ClickthePlaybuttontostartthe
modelandtheplantswillgrow.Thebushyplantswillonlygrowandflowerintheleastamountoflight.Thethinplantswillgrowbestwiththemostsunlight.Themediumplantswillgrowbestwithamediumamountof
sunlight.)
Note:Whenstudentsusealltheseedsinapacket,theiconwillgreyout.StudentscangetmoreseedsbyResettingthemodel.
TheCarrybuttonallowsstudentstopickupaplantandmoveittoadifferentlocation.Studentsshouldnoticetherootsizeandshapeforeachplantwhentheymoveplantsfromoneboxtoanother.Note:ifstudentsdropaplant
outsideofaflowerbox,theplantdies.
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ClicktheResetbuttontoresetthemodeltoitsoriginalcondition.
ClicktheTakepicturebuttontotakeapictureofthemodel.(Note:whenyoutakeapicture,themodelpauses.YoumustclickPlaytorestartit.)Youcan
annotateyourpicture.
TheLabBookholdsallpictures.
Theglossarycontainsdefinitionsforthevocabularywords(inblue)usedinthisactivity.Studentscanclickonindividualbluewordsforpop‐up
definitionsorclicktheGlossaryiconforthecompleteglossary.
LessonPlan
1.Estimatedtime
Thisactivityshouldtakeapproximately45minutes.
2.Introducetheactivity(Engage)
HavestudentsthinkabouttheMysteryPlantsinActivity2.
• HowweresomeoftheoffspringMysteryPlantsdifferentthantheirparents?Makesurethatstudentsunderstandthatallplantsandanimalbabieshavevariation,notjustcertainMysteryPlants.
3.Guidedinquiry(Explore)
Asstudentsruntheactivityyoumaywantthemtothinkaboutthefollowingdiscoveryquestions:
• Describevariation.• Howmightdifferencesintheoffspringberelatedtoitschancesofsurvivalinthesame
environment?Inadifferentenvironment?
4.Discusstheactivity(Explain)
Afteryourstudentsrunthisactivity,discusswhatstudentsconcludedfromtheactivity(answersto
questionsintheactivityareincludedbelow).Inparticular,itisimportanttodiscussthefollowingwithyourstudents:
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1) Variation2) Howisvariationisrelatedtotheadaptationsoforganismstotheenvironment?
Belowaresuggestionsfordiscussionquestions:
Variationsinplantsandanimals
Howdoestheplantmodelshowthatbabyplantsaredifferentfromtheirparents?HowaretheplantsintheVirtualGreenhousemodeldifferentfromtheonesinActivity2?(Answer:TheseareLeafSize2plantsandinActivity2,studentsplantedLeafSize5plants.Thepointinrepeatingthemodelistoshow
studentsthatallplantshavevariation,notjustLeafSize5!)
Adaptation
Howdothesedifferencesintheplantsaffectwheretheycangrow?(Answer:Differencesinleafsizeallowdifferentplantstothriveunderdifferentlevelsofsunlight.)
Whatcausedtheplantstospreadacrossthefield?(Answer:Variationintheplantoffspringenabledsomebabiestoliveindifferentpartsofthefield.Variationinsubsequentgenerationsofoffspring
allowedtheplantpopulationtospreadacrosstheentirefield.)
Whataresomeotherreal‐worldexampleswhereadaptationmighthelpplantsoranimalssurviveintheirenvironment?
AnswerstoQuestions
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Noquestions.
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Studentpicturesshouldshowatotalofsixfloweringplants–fourinthemiddleflowerboxandoneeachonthetopandbottomflowerboxes.
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Noquestions.
Askstudentstodescribeplantadaptations.StudentsmightdescribethelongtaprootsthathelpdesertplantsgetwaterfromdeepbelowthegroundortheymightdescribeleafsizeonrealplantsortheMysteryPlantsthathelptheplantgetsunlight.
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Q1.WhichadaptationshelptheMysteryPlantssurvive?A.SizeofleavesQ2.Cactusplantshavespines.Inadditiontopreventingwaterloss,whatelsedoyouthinkthisadaptationisgoodfor?A.TokeepawaypredatorsPage5
Q3.Whatdoyouthinkwillhappentotheoffspring?A.Studentanswerswillvary.StudentsshoulddescribetheparentplantofLeafSize5havingsomeoffspringthatarealittledifferent.Thosedifferentoffspringwillneeddifferentamountsofsunlight,soiftheseedsfallintherowwiththerightamountofsunlight,theywillgrowandproduceflowers,thenseeds.Someofthoseseedswillbealittledifferentthantheparent.
Studentpicturesshouldhaveplantsgrowingthroughoutthefield,asabove.
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Q4.Inthisgraph,howmanytypesofplantshaveflowers?A.1typeofplantQ5.Whenwasthepictureofthisgraphtaken?A.Afteroneseason.[Somestudentsmayrespond,"Afterafewseasons."ThisiscorrectifthestudenthadplantedoneoronlyafewseedsinthecorrectrowcorrespondingtotherightsunlightlevelfortheLeafSize5plant.]Q6.Inthisgraph,howmanytypesofplantshaveflowers?A.10typesofplantsQ7.Whenwasthepictureofthisgraphtaken?A.Aftermany,manyseasons.Q8.Youonlyplantedonetypeoffloweringplant.Howdidsomanytypesofplantsgrow?A.Studentanswerswillvary.Sampleresponsesincludethefollowing:"Theonesthatsurvivedandwouldbehealthywouldhaveseedsandiftheywereadapted,theywouldgrow.""Sometimesthe5'shavebaby5'sandsometimestherearesome4'sandsome6'sandifthoselandinthe4or6zone,theywouldliveandbehealthyandflowerandhaveseedsanditwouldgoon,andthose4'swouldhavesome3'sandsome5's,andsoon!""Theplantsdidit.Theykeptmakingbabies.Thebabiesstartedchanging.Seedsgotscattered.Sotheplantsthatgotplantedinthesunnyspotgavebirthtoplantsthatneededlotsofsun."**Note:theremaybeapossiblemisconceptionhere.Plantsthatarehealthyinsunnyspotswilltendtoproducebabyplantslikethemselves—thatis,thatalsogrowbestinlotsofsun.Thoseplantswillalsoproducebabieswithvariations,however,sotheseplantsmayproduceaseedthatwouldgrowbestinadifferentamountofsun.Ifthatseedhappenedtofallinthehorizontalstripoffieldwiththerightconditions,itwouldgrowtobehealthyandproduceseeds.Page7
Noquestions.
StudentsmayhaveheardofCharlesDarwinandhisfinches.Leadashortdiscussionon
birdbeaksandadaptations.Askstudentswhatitmeansthatthevariationsinthepopulationhelpedsomebirdstosurvive.
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Noquestions.
