Natural Selection Explanation Assessment

Performance Expectation: Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.

Use these resources to help construct this explanation:
Fork Bird Data Analysis Assessment
Natural Selection notes

Write a claim statement that uses the words trait, offspring, variation, reproduce, population and environment.
The environment can affect the population of the species by causing mutations to appear in the species. These mutations cause variation of traits between the species of the population. The favoured trait will allow more reproduction to pass of those traits to the offsprings.



Describe the evidence from the natural selection simulation (fork bird lab) that supports the claim statement.
The drought that occured forced the different trait variation fork bird population to have competition in the population. The variations like the 4 tines, which had 12 members, and 3 tines, which had 5 members, could reproduce to have offsprings while 1 tine and 2 tines decreased to the point where 1 tine went extinct and 2 tines were endangered with one surviving member.



Use scientific reasoning to explain what the evidence shows about populations in nature.
When resources get scarce, different species will fight over survival of their own kind, but the competition of predators and prey and also be in the same population of the same species but there are variations. The 4 tines were the victors and eat more food which lead to its population growing rapidly. This increase in population made the trait, of 4 tines, more common. At the start the 4 tines had 4 members, but by the end of 10 generations there were 12 members. The fork birds that were the prey were 1 tine and 2 tines because they couldn’t get enough food so 1 tine birds went extinct and 2 tines birds are endangered with one surviving member. The 3 tines birds where steady the whole generation with 5 and the start and after 10 generations they had 5 members.

Explain how the evidence proves the claim. Make sure to use the words trait, offspring, reproduce, population and environment without just restating the same claim.
The evidence proves that Nature selects certain species who get a favorable trait that helps in the environment. The trait will help the species eat more to survive and reproduce to make offsprings. Those offsprings with get passed the trait from their parents and enable them to survive and get a bigger family.