PhET Natural Selection Lab
For this assignment, you will explore a simulation program, collect data, and report your findings in a worksheet linked below.
Simulation Interaction
Access the PhET Natural Selection Lab.
- Go to the Intro section. Explore and play around. Take note of what kind of data is available to you. What variables can you change and adjust?
- The simulation starts off with only one bunny.
- Press the blue play button if you do not see the one bunny hopping and then add a mate. The simulation will start running. Observe what’s happening. You should be seeing the population numbers being charted in the graph as each generation passes.
Tips:
- Pressing and holding the fast-forward button will speed up the process.
- You can adjust the scale of the Y-axis [Population] by pressing the + and – buttons as the populations grows.
- Click the arrows on either side of Generations to move the chart back and forth as needed.
- Use the Data Probe option to slide across the X-axis in order to view specific population #s for each generation.
- Observe the changes taking place from one generation to the next. Let the simulation run for at least 6 generations. Note what happens at generation 6.
Environmental Factors: Follow the instructions below, and run the simulation for each scenario.
Limited Food
- You will now consider changing abiotic and biotic environmental factors.
- Start a new simulation: Press the orange start over button on the bottom right.
- Add a mate and check the Limited Food box.
- Run for 10 generations.
- Record the number of bunnies at the start of each generation in your data sheet. Remember to click the Data Probe box. Once the 10 generations have run, drag the Data Probe along the graph from one generation to the next, entering the number of bunnies for each generation. To get the best count for teach generation, slide the data probe just past the generation number.
Wolves
Start a new simulation: Press the orange start over button on the bottom right.
- Add a mate and after 4 generations check the Wolves box. Do not check the Limited Food box.
- Run for 10 generations.
- Record the number of bunnies at the start of each generation as you did in the previous step.
Wolves + Mutation
- Start a new simulation: Press the orange start over button on the bottom right.
- Add a mate and select the brown fur mutation (i.e. click the brown fur under “Recessive”).
- After 4 generations check the Wolves box. Do not check the Limited Food box.
- Run for 10 generations.
- Record the number of bunnies at the start of each generation.
- Optional: You may parse out the differences between white fur and brown fur within your total population data. To do this, check the white fur and brown fur boxes. *White fur will show up as a solid green line, and brown fur will be a dotted green line.
Deliverable: Open the Unit VI PheT Natural Selection Lab Worksheet. In the worksheet, you will also answer 4 questions concerning the data. Each answer for questions 3 and 4 should be at least 100 words.
