Group 4: Evolution

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Group 4 Evolution

• Team members Miriam Ferzli
• John Godwin
• Karsten Hueffer
• Christa Mulder
• Curt Daehler
• Alison Sherwood
• Facilitator Peter Armbruster

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Framework for Teachable UnitEvolution of
species interactions

• Course title Introduction to Evolutionary
  Biology
• Second year course, prerequisite is an
  introductory biology course
• This teaching unit occurs mid-way through the
  course, following a basic introduction to the
  mechanisms of evolutionary processes.

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Learning goals

• Students will understand that
• Species influence each others evolution, while
  selection occurs at the individual level
• There is a spectrum of species interactions
  ranging from mutually beneficial, to highly
  detrimental to at least one member
• Relationships between species are conditional
  upon the environment in which they occur
• Evolution of species interactions is important
  and applicable to real-world problems

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Todays Learning Objectives

• Infer the costs and benefits to species in an
  interaction
• Critically evaluate the medias presentation of
  biology

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Fig-wasp mutualism
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The Fig Wasp interaction

• Video on the fig wasp mutualism
  (http//youtube.com/watch?vJNbMyavunbQfeaturere
  lated)

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Individual writing exercise

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of this
  interaction for the fig and for the wasp?
• Fill in the squares on the handout
• Only fill in those squares that you think apply
  to this interaction

fig
wasp
advantages
disadvantages
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Clicker question

• For which of the following did you write
  advantages?
• A fig
• B wasp
• C fig and wasp
• D neither

fig
wasp
advantages
disadvantages
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Clicker question

• For which of the following did you write
  disadvantages?
• A fig
• B wasp
• C fig and wasp
• D neither

fig
wasp
advantages
disadvantages
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Group discussion

• Within your groups, discuss your evaluation of
  the fig-wasp interaction and come to a group
  consensus about advantages and disadvantages for
  both the fig and the wasp.

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Clicker question re-vote

• For which of the following did you write
  disadvantages?
• A fig
• B wasp
• C fig and wasp
• D neither

fig
wasp
advantages
disadvantages
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Brainstorming

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of this
  interaction to the fig and the wasp?

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Group assignment (take-home)

• How would you modify the video clip shown during
  class to reflect your understanding of the costs
  and benefits of the fig-wasp interaction?
• Two options
• 1) re-write the script of the video clip to
  include what you think are all the important
  pieces of information for a viewer to really
  understand the nature of this interaction
• 2) create your own video explaining the
  interaction

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SI themes addressed by this teachable tidbit

• Active Learning / Formative Assessment
• Advantages / disadvantages exercise written /
  spatial
• Brainstorming
• Video assignment (creative or written options)
• Summative Assessment
• Homework assignment
• Unit exam
• Diversity
• Different approaches to the same content (e.g.
  individual work / group discussions video clip)
• Alternate homework assignments for different
  learning styles

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Clicker question

• Is the wasp-fig interaction an example of a
  mutualism?
• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Dont have enough information
• D. No idea

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Cost-benefit analyses

• Advantages (benefits) and disadvantages (costs)
  associated with each the balance determines the
  type of association

Advantages and disadvantages are weighed against
each other
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Species interactions and human affairs

• Interactions have a temporal element
• The balance can change over time
• The nature of the interaction can change over
  time
• What kinds of impacts could change the nature of
  an interaction?