Exercise 1: Adaptation

At each lab table will be a series of specimens and pictures of plants and animals. Each form of life illustrates adaptations to its particular environment and its niche. Your textbook defines niche as "The fundamental role of a species in a community." You can think of this as including the resources that the species needs to survive, the affect it has on the biotic and abiotic factors of its ecosystem as well as what it eats and what eats it. Some of these organisms will be familiar and others may not. Working as a group, you will examine several of these and discuss what you know about it, or better yet, what you can infer from its characteristics. You will be asked to identify characteristics that you believe are adaptations or have adaptive value to the organism and explain what the advantage might be.

One member of each group will be asked to explain to the rest of the class how one of these characteristics is an advantage and how it could have come about through natural selection. Each lab table will present one scenario and other students will be encouraged to ask questions about your explanation. Be prepared as a group to clarify any confusion. If you do not understand the process of natural selection then you should review that section from last week's lab.

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