Natural Selection Lab Report

The natural simulation done in class was a good representation natural selection in the wilderness. The four things that Darwin identified that must be present in order for natural selection to occur are genetic variation, overproduction of offspring, struggle for existence, and differential survival and reproduction. This activity demonstrated all these factors except genetic variation. For over production of offspring, the beans’ populations were multiplied by three after every round. This is because out of all beans, many will not survive the round, and so more beans needed to be present than the projected amount to survive. The predators (utensils) struggled for existence because the ones with characteristics most suited to the environment lived on. These utensils were …show more content…
During the lab, the predators and prey could not exist without each other, as seen in the last generation where all the organisms ceased to exist. The relationship between the food source and the type of “beak” was that their traits were opposing or complimentary. For example, the spoons were the most effective predator in surviving the lab because they had a larger surface area, therefore were able to pick up any of the beans with ease. The lentils were the most victorious in surviving the lab because they had a small surface area, making them difficult to be caught. The kidney beans were very easily captured, because they were larger and easier to pick up. Our group had the dark towel environment, so it was difficult to see the black beans. Due to the fact they blended in with their environment, we were able to capture less of them, and they made up the most percentage of prey population in generation one. Although each predator had their own great qualities, there are situations where one may thrive more than