Greetings, Community Scientists!
It's the height of the Industrial Revolution in England, and there seems to be an unusual phenomenon. The number of light-colored pepper moths seems to be decreasing and the number of dark-colored moths seems to rise. Why is this? This is where you come in. We need you to investigate this situation. But before you begin, you need to know a few terms to tackle this issue, such as camouflage, natural selection, genetics, industrial melanism, and entomologist. Not only this, you must also learn a few things about the peppered moth.
There are a few tasks you need to complete by reading the material, playing a game, and answering the questions that follow. After you're done you will be ready for your evaluation of this unusual phenomenon.
Task 1
You will open the following website and read background information on the peppered moth.
Be sure to read the "show/hide words to know" to help with you the vocabulary.
https://askabiologist.asu.edu/peppered-moth
Write 3-5 things that helps you understand about the peppered moth.
Task 2
For this task, you will click on the following link and read about natural selection.
https://askabiologist.asu.edu/peppered-moths-game/natural-selection.html
Write 3-5 facts about natural selection and what this might have to do with the peppered moth.
Task 3
Now, you will participation in a simulation where you will watch natural selection in action. You must read the instructions "How to Play". Once you have done this, you will then click on the link "Play Game". Once you have completed the game, be sure to save your results as a PDF. When you have done this, go to Evaluation of this Webquest.
https://askabiologist.asu.edu/peppered-moths-game/how-to-play.html
Now that you have completed the simulation/played the game and saved your results. It's now to analyze the data on the graphs and interpret the information. What do the graphs tell you? What do they tell you about the natural selection of peppered moths?
Like any good scientist, you must write a conclusion of your findings on Schoology for this class, along with uploading your graphs for the same assignment. When we resume in class, be prepared to communicate your findings in our class discussion!
This assignment aligns with NGSS standards HS-LS 4-5 which states:
Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.
This is a great and fun activity students can do at home to learn about a real-life scenario of natural selection.