Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Adaptation — This site provides an adaption "changing dots" activity.

Adaptation — This site provides an online classroom activity about animals and adaptation, including an extensive “Darwin Library” of articles and video.

Biology Resources — This site contains videos, film guides, multimedia resources, interactives, and classroom activities for teaching evolution.

Evolution — Evolution 101 explains the the basic definitions and details of evolution. This is great for teachers’ background knowledge.

Evolution — This link explores the central ideas of evolution are that life has a history — it has changed over time — and that different species share common ancestors. Here, you can explore how evolutionary change and evolutionary relationships are represented in "family trees," how these trees are constructed, and how this knowledge affects biological classification. You will also find a timeline of evolutionary history and information on some specific events in the history of life: human evolution and the origin of life.

Evolution Documentaries — These full-length documentaries from PBS explore different topics in evolution, including: What Darwin Didn’t Know (how recent advances in genetics strengthen and extend Darwin’s theories), Where We Come From (the birth of our solar system and life on Earth) and multiple videos on the evolution of humanity.

Evolution Flow chart — This incredible flowchart shows how the idea of evolution has developed over more than 2,000 years. (from University of California Museum of Paleontology’s Understanding Evolution

Evolution resources — This is a companion site to the PBS series Evolution. It contains numerous interactive exercises and simulations keyed to the episodes of the show. The Evolution Library has a large number of useful resources indexed by topic. While it is listed as a reference site, it contains animations, simulations, and tutorials as part of the larger site.

Evolution videos — PBS evolution videos

Life Preserver Evolution Game — Life Preservers is a video game based on National Science standards that teaches about evolution, adaptation, and the history of life on earth. It is an engaging, fun, pedagogically rich learning experience that can fit within a single class period. Life Preservers was funded by the National Science Foundation. It was created by the Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab at Michigan State University.

Life Preservers Evolution Game — Life Preservers is a video game based on National Science standards that teaches about evolution, adaptation, and the history of life on earth. It is an engaging, fun, pedagogically rich learning experience that can fit within a single class period. Life Preservers was funded by the National Science Foundation. It was created by the Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab at Michigan State University.

Lizard evolution lab — The virtual lab includes four modules that investigate different concepts in evolutionary biology, including adaptation, convergent evolution, phylogenetic analysis, reproductive isolation, and speciation. Each module involves data collection, calculations, analysis and answering questions. The “Educators” tab includes lists of key concepts and learning objectives and detailed suggestions for incorporating the lab in your instruction. It is appropriate for students in high school biology and environmental science classes, and undergraduate biology, ecology, environmental science courses. The focus on observation, measurement, and experimental methods makes the lab a good fit for addressing "science as a process" or "nature of science" aspects of the curriculum. The emphasis on the collection, analysis, and graphing of data, connects to the mathematical dimension of biology and general goals of STEM integration

Lizard Evolution lab — The virtual lab includes four modules that investigate different concepts in evolutionary biology, including adaptation, convergent evolution, phylogenetic analysis, reproductive isolation, and speciation. Each module involves data collection, calculations, analysis and answering questions. The “Educators” tab includes lists of key concepts and learning objectives and detailed suggestions for incorporating the lab in your instruction. It is appropriate for students in high school biology and environmental science classes, and undergraduate biology, ecology, environmental science courses. The focus on observation, measurement, and experimental methods makes the lab a good fit for addressing "science as a process" or "nature of science" aspects of the curriculum. The emphasis on the collection, analysis, and graphing of data, connects to the mathematical dimension of biology and general goals of STEM integration

Mitochondrial DNA simulation — The mitochondrial genotype is inherited through the cytoplasm, and so follows the female line through the generations. Due to random sampling, mitochondrial genotypes get "lost", and so the number gradually decreases (irregularly) through the generations, and finally one mitochondrial genotype is "fixed". This produces a Mitochondrial Eve. This is a prospective simulation - starting with 10 mitochrondrial genotypes the simulation portrays the irregular loss of variation until one genotype is fixed. A set of Thought Questions guides the student in interpreting the simulation results.

Natural Selection — This site has a 10 min. film about the rock pocket mouse and its adaptation to black lava rocks in the Arizona desert. Clear example of natural selection.

Natural Selection simulation — This site offers an interactive simulation activity, which examines how natural selection works to bring about the evolution of adaptations. Using the simulation tool, the student can slow down the process to watch all the steps involved or can speed it up to watch how a population evolves over time. Links are provided to a variety of useful sites.

Natural Selection Simulation — This site provides a natural selection simulation.

Paleobotany — The Virtual Paleobotany Lab contains the background material and instructions for 12 lab exercises from a UC Berkeley course on paleobotany. The online pages have links to black and white drawings and color photographs of the plants being described; there is a detailed glossary, and each lab ends with several questions for a student to think about.

Podcast Evolution — This podcast episode addresses a question that haunted Charles Darwin: if natural selection boils down to survival of the fittest, how do you explain why one creature might stick its neck out for another?

Y Chromosome simulation — The Y chromosome is inherited from father to son, and so follows the male line through the generations. Due to random sampling, Y chromosome genotypes get "lost", and so the number of different Y chromosome genotypes gradually decreases through the generations. This exercise simulates the process through the generations and the process can be followed to "fixation". It also can be repeated over and over, and so the variability in the process and the final outcome can be experienced.