Biology for Life

  Skyline High School IB Biology

	Variation and Evolution
	Assessment statements What you need to know Unit activities list Key terms Helpful links

Assessment Statements:

5.4.5	State that the members of a species show variation.
5.4.6	Explain how sexual reproduction promotes variation in a species.

5.4.1	Define evolution.
5.4.3	State that populations tend to produce more offspring than the     environment can support.
5.4.4	Explain that the consequence of the potential overproduction of offspring     is a struggle for survival.

5.4.7

Explain how natural selection leads to evolution.

5.4.2	Outline the evidence for evolution provided by the fossil record, selective   breeding of domesticated animals and homologous structures.
5.4.8	Explain two examples of evolution in response to environmental change;   one must be antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

D.5.6

Distinguish, with examples, between analogous and homologous   characteristics.

D.3.1	Outline the method for dating rocks and fossils using radioisotopes, with   reference to 14C and 40K.
D.3.2	Define half-life.
D.3.3	Deduce the approximate age of materials based on a simple decay curve for a radioisotope.

What You Should Be Able to Do

Variation

• What is variation?

• Why is variation a good thing?

• Describe four mechanisms by which variation can arise.

History of Evolutionary Thought

• What were natural theologists and what role did they play in the development of the biology?

• Who was Lammarck and what was his major contribution to biology?

• Who was Darwin and what was his major contribution to biology?

• How did the development of geology and information about the Earth as a dynamic planet influence thoughts about evolution of life?

• How does the word theory differ when used by scientists compared to the general population? 

Natural Selection

• What was Darwin’s big idea?  Why was it (and to some, still is) a controversial idea?

• What observations and deductions lead Darwin to develop his idea of evolution through natural selection?

• Explain the evolution of the horse as an example of natural selection leading to speciation over time.  Be sure to include a description of the selective pressure that acted.

• List five types of evidence that support the theory of evolution through natural selection.

• What is a fossil and how are they formed?

• Define biogeography.

• Define homology and provide examples of anatomical homologies, embryological homologies and molecular homologies.   

• Contrast relative with absolute dating of fossils.

• Explain how radioactive isotopes are used to date fossils and rocks, specifically referring to Carbon-14 and Potassium-40.

Class Activities:

Variation notes

Video:  why sex

Bird variation lab

Lab:  Variation in a measurable, genetically controlled human trait

Reading:  From Atoms to Traits with associated questions

Evolutions historical context notes

Puzzle of evolution notes

Evolution web quest

Evolution of antibiotic resistance notes

Video clip:  evolutionary arms race

Reading:  Evolution in the Everyday World with questions

Why finish your antibiotics mini-lab

Evidence for evolution notes

Homologous vs. analogous web quests

Fossil notes

Modeling radioactive decay lab

Key Terms:

Helpful Links:

PBS Evolution:  why sex

The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online
Darwin, Wallace and the Linnean Society
Natural History Museum: Darwin200
University of Cambridge: Darwin 2009 Anniversary Festival
Richard Dawkins on Charles Darwin
Evolution: Darwin's Dangerous Idea: PBS program
The Darwin Correspondence Project
Darwinians and Evolution
BBC: Historic Figures
Wilberforce and Huxley - A Legendary Encounter
The Beagle Project
Darwin's Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure