Predator Prey: Difference between revisions

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== Age ==
{| class="wikitable" style="color:black; background-color:#ddd; margin-left: auto; float:right"
| [[Biology]]:
| Camouflage, Trait Adaptation
|-
| Grade Range:
| [[Elementary School]], [[Middle School]]
|-
| Format:
| [[Hands-on]]
|}


Elementary School
This demonstration works well as a introductory lesson on evolutionary adaptation. There are several ways to adapt this demonstration, so feel free to experiment with different kinds of environments!
 
== Format ==
 
Hands-on


== Materials ==
== Materials ==


    White poster board
* Poster Board (White)
    Red, blue, white poker chips
* Optional: Green Tablecloth
    Modified goggles
* Red, Blue & White Poker Chips
    Stopwatch
* Rubber Mitt
* Foggy Goggles
* Green Filter Goggles


== Safety Precautions ==
== Safety Precautions ==


Science Theatre demonstrators must keep the safety of themselves and their audience in mind at all times. All Science Theatre demonstrators must have read through the Safety Training page. The ST Safety Box with first aid kit, fire extinguisher, etc. should always be available to demonstrators. Always wear safety gloves, glasses, and a labcoat if handling chemicals; always perform potentially dangerous demonstrations at a safe distance from the audience; and always keep a very close eye on any volunteers you call from the audience. Always supervise students very carefully during interactive demonstrations. Assist children in putting on the goggles and be careful that they are not too tight.
Please read the General Safety Precautions section of the [[Demonstration Safety]] page before performing this demonstration.
 
== Preparation ==
 
Put the white poster board on the table, and scatter the poker chips over the board. Make sure there are an even number, approximately ten of each color poker chip.


== Demonstration ==
== Demonstration ==


1) Place white poster board on the table
# Set the poster board on one side of a table. Spread out the poker chips across the poker board. Set the mitt and goggles next to the poster board.
 
## If you brought the green tablecloth, set it on the table with the poster board on top. Spread out half of the poker chips on the poster board, and the other half on the green tablecloth, making two areas to play the game in.
2) Spread an even number of red, blue, and white poker chips over the white poster board
# When students come up, ask them if they would like to play a game. The goal is to collect as many poker chips as they can in 30 seconds. If they want to play, explain the following rules:
 
## You can only pick up one poker chip at a time. After you pick up a poker chip, you have to place it down in front of yourself before getting another one.
3) Ask student to collect as many poker chips as they can during alloted time
## When you put a poker chip in your pile, you have to turn and look away from the table before getting another one.
 
## You have to choose one of the "traits" to wear: the foggy goggles, the green filter goggles, or the rubber mitt. You have to wear them for the whole game.
4) Time student for fifteen seconds
## You can only use one hand to pick up poker chips. If you are using the rubber mitt, you have to use the hand wearing it.
 
## If you brought the green tablecloth, then they can choose which area to play on: the white board or the green cloth.
5) Count the number of poker chips collected with the student
# Get a timer on your phone or watch ready, and when the students are ready have them go! Stop after 30 seconds, and have them count out how many they got.
 
# Have them compare how each performed. The student using the rubber mitt got the fewest, and both pairs of goggles seem to perform equally well. Ask them about what was easy to see and what wasn't. Were some poker chips hard to find?
6) Ask questions about the science behind this demo
 
== What to Say ==
 
This game deals with predator/prey interactions in nature. Do you know the difference between a predator and prey?
 
A predator hunts for prey, so it can eat it.
 
Can you put these goggles on for me? (Hand goggles to student) Now pick up as many chips as you can in fifteen seconds, and hold them in your hand. Ready? (Begin timing student) Go!
 
Now let's see which ones you were able to get. It looks like you got more red and blue chips than white ones. Why do you think that is?
 
You just demonstrated a principle of natural selection.
 
Imagine that you are a hawk, and you are flying over a field. You think you see a mouse scurrying across the ground, but it's hard to see because the mouse blends in to its surroundings; the grass, the dirt, the weeds. This mouse is like our white poker chips, which blend in with their white background. Now imagine that you see a bright red mouse. It will stand out more, and it will be easier to catch. Since it is easier for the hawk to see the red mice, the hawk will catch more of them and the ones that blend in better will survive the hunt. This also means that there will be more white mice left to reproduce, and there will be more white mice over time.
 
This is natural selection because the prey's color determined which ones survived.
 
== Why It Is ==


Animals that are able to blend into their environments are less likely to be spotted by predators and eaten. This means that the population will shift to having more camouflaged animals surviving, and those animals will have a greater chance of reproducing. Because of this shift, the future generation will have more camouflaged animals.
== Why This Works ==


== Real Life Examples ==
''Evolution'' is the process by which the traits of a species can adapt over the course of several generations. Animals can develop different traits due to minor mutations between generations. These traits can determine an animals likelihood of surviving and passing on its genes, and can be positive, neutral, or negative. ''Negative Traits'' are traits that hinder and animal, making it harder to eat or survive. In our game, the rubber mitt is a negative trait since it makes it hard to pick up the poker chips. This would be like finding a lion that had no teeth; it would be extremely hard for it to hunt prey, and harder still to chew food. ''Neutral Traits'' are traits that, although they do not hinder greatly, they can be adapted to. The foggy goggles are a neutral trait, since they make it harder to see but not so hard that you cannot see. On the poster board the foggy goggles trait can still get the red and blue chips easily, but the white chips have adapted to hide from it. ''Camouflage'' is when an organism has adapted how it looks so it can better blend in with its surroundings, allowing it to hide from predators or sneak up on prey. The white chips on the white background have camouflage against the foggy goggle trait, but the green goggle trait can see them. ''Positive Traits'' are traits that allow an animal to hunt better, hide better and survive longer, making the animal more likely to pass on the trait. The green goggles are a positive trait on the poster board, since they can see through the camouflage of the white poker chips and have no hindrances in that environment.


Peppered moth population changing from a lighter color to a darker color during the Industrial Revolution in Britain
On the green tablecloth, however, we see that the green goggles become a neutral trait. This is because of a change in environment, and with it a change in what poker chips have camouflage. The blue and red chips become hard to see on the green background while wearing the green goggles, meaning that they have camouflage! This is because of a common evolutionary trait; colorblindness. The most common form of colorblindness is red-green, meaning that shades of red instead look green or brown. This means that a red bird, such as a cardinal, doesn't appear red to most of the animals that hunt it, but rather appears green or brown! The color blue can also appear to look blue-green, which makes it hard for a colorblind animal to spot bluebirds. If you put a foggy plastic filter over the green goggles, then they become a negative trait on the green tablecloth!


Antibiotic resistance in microbes
== Additional Information ==


Sickle cell anemia more common in countries where malaria is a threat
* There are all kinds of ways to adapt this demonstration and show different types of traits! Ideas include:
** Making red-filter and blue-filter goggles to compare them to the green.
** Having different colors for the background, or even having students reach into a bowl of water!
** Having different objects to pick up, of varying color and size.
** Having different gloves, mitts or claws for students to use and compare effectiveness for the environment.
* This demonstration pairs well with the [[Food Chain Jenga]].

Latest revision as of 15:21, 7 July 2016

Biology: Camouflage, Trait Adaptation
Grade Range: Elementary School, Middle School
Format: Hands-on

This demonstration works well as a introductory lesson on evolutionary adaptation. There are several ways to adapt this demonstration, so feel free to experiment with different kinds of environments!

Materials

  • Poster Board (White)
  • Optional: Green Tablecloth
  • Red, Blue & White Poker Chips
  • Rubber Mitt
  • Foggy Goggles
  • Green Filter Goggles

Safety Precautions

Please read the General Safety Precautions section of the Demonstration Safety page before performing this demonstration.

Demonstration

  1. Set the poster board on one side of a table. Spread out the poker chips across the poker board. Set the mitt and goggles next to the poster board.
    1. If you brought the green tablecloth, set it on the table with the poster board on top. Spread out half of the poker chips on the poster board, and the other half on the green tablecloth, making two areas to play the game in.
  2. When students come up, ask them if they would like to play a game. The goal is to collect as many poker chips as they can in 30 seconds. If they want to play, explain the following rules:
    1. You can only pick up one poker chip at a time. After you pick up a poker chip, you have to place it down in front of yourself before getting another one.
    2. When you put a poker chip in your pile, you have to turn and look away from the table before getting another one.
    3. You have to choose one of the "traits" to wear: the foggy goggles, the green filter goggles, or the rubber mitt. You have to wear them for the whole game.
    4. You can only use one hand to pick up poker chips. If you are using the rubber mitt, you have to use the hand wearing it.
    5. If you brought the green tablecloth, then they can choose which area to play on: the white board or the green cloth.
  3. Get a timer on your phone or watch ready, and when the students are ready have them go! Stop after 30 seconds, and have them count out how many they got.
  4. Have them compare how each performed. The student using the rubber mitt got the fewest, and both pairs of goggles seem to perform equally well. Ask them about what was easy to see and what wasn't. Were some poker chips hard to find?

Why This Works

Evolution is the process by which the traits of a species can adapt over the course of several generations. Animals can develop different traits due to minor mutations between generations. These traits can determine an animals likelihood of surviving and passing on its genes, and can be positive, neutral, or negative. Negative Traits are traits that hinder and animal, making it harder to eat or survive. In our game, the rubber mitt is a negative trait since it makes it hard to pick up the poker chips. This would be like finding a lion that had no teeth; it would be extremely hard for it to hunt prey, and harder still to chew food. Neutral Traits are traits that, although they do not hinder greatly, they can be adapted to. The foggy goggles are a neutral trait, since they make it harder to see but not so hard that you cannot see. On the poster board the foggy goggles trait can still get the red and blue chips easily, but the white chips have adapted to hide from it. Camouflage is when an organism has adapted how it looks so it can better blend in with its surroundings, allowing it to hide from predators or sneak up on prey. The white chips on the white background have camouflage against the foggy goggle trait, but the green goggle trait can see them. Positive Traits are traits that allow an animal to hunt better, hide better and survive longer, making the animal more likely to pass on the trait. The green goggles are a positive trait on the poster board, since they can see through the camouflage of the white poker chips and have no hindrances in that environment.

On the green tablecloth, however, we see that the green goggles become a neutral trait. This is because of a change in environment, and with it a change in what poker chips have camouflage. The blue and red chips become hard to see on the green background while wearing the green goggles, meaning that they have camouflage! This is because of a common evolutionary trait; colorblindness. The most common form of colorblindness is red-green, meaning that shades of red instead look green or brown. This means that a red bird, such as a cardinal, doesn't appear red to most of the animals that hunt it, but rather appears green or brown! The color blue can also appear to look blue-green, which makes it hard for a colorblind animal to spot bluebirds. If you put a foggy plastic filter over the green goggles, then they become a negative trait on the green tablecloth!

Additional Information

  • There are all kinds of ways to adapt this demonstration and show different types of traits! Ideas include:
    • Making red-filter and blue-filter goggles to compare them to the green.
    • Having different colors for the background, or even having students reach into a bowl of water!
    • Having different objects to pick up, of varying color and size.
    • Having different gloves, mitts or claws for students to use and compare effectiveness for the environment.
  • This demonstration pairs well with the Food Chain Jenga.
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