Station 1: Traits and
Inheritance
1. What does it mean to inherit something? To get it from somebody else. In the case of
organisms to get it from parents.
2. What is the difference between an inherited and acquired trait? Inherited traits come from your
parents; acquired traits you get during life.
3. Give an example of one inherited and one acquired trait that you have. Answers will vary.
4. Identify the following as either inherited or acquired:
a. Skin color Inherited
b. How much you can lift Acquired
c. How much you weigh Acquired
d. A tendency to bleed (medical term: “hemophilia”) Inherited
e. A scar on your shoulder Acquired
5. Can traits skip generations? (i.e. can you have a trait that neither parent has) Explain.
Yes. It is possible for a child to have a trait neither parent had.
6. Can genes skip generations? (i.e. can you have DNA that neither parent has) Explain.
No. It is not possible for a child to have DNA that neither parent had. All DNA comes from
parents.
7. Video: what were some inherited and acquired traits that affected the chance of being a
criminal?
Inherited: “warrior” gene
Acquired: upbringing, environment
Station 2: DNA and
Inheritance
8. Review: What does DNA do for the cell? Blueprints of the cell, tell it how to make things.
9. Review: What does DNA code for? (Hint: machines) Proteins
10. Does your DNA change during life? Explain.
No, your DNA does not change during your life. What you inherit is what you have your whole
life.
11. Do your inherited traits change during life? Explain.
No, because they are based on your DNA.
12. What % of your DNA is from your mother? From your father?
50% in both cases.
13. How do organisms choose what DNA to pass on? (Remember the “Making Offspring” activity)
They don’t choose – it is random.
14. What is a mutation? An unexpected change in DNA.
Station 3: Adaptation
15. What does it mean to be “well adapted”?
Answers vary, but along the lines of “fits into the environment.”
16. Is there a best adaptation? Why or why not?
No, because environments are different so there’s no design that fits all situations.
17. What kinds of environments were these adaptations suited to:
a. Polar bear’s thick, white fur Arctic
b. Quiver tree cutting off its own branches Desert
c. Angler fish having a glowing lure Deep ocean
d. Venus fly trap catching insects Swamps with poor soil
18. Why did Peppered Moths change color? Would they have changed color without predators?
The soot from the Industrial Revolution turned the trees black. The white moths died off and
the darker ones did better. They would not have changed without predators.
19. Does adaptation occur in a single generation?
No.
20. What is mimicry? What is an example of an organism that used it?
One organism looking like another for a benefit. Examples will vary.
21. What is camouflage? What is an example of an organism that used it?
An organism looking like its surroundings to blend in. Examples will vary.
Station 4:
Reproduction
22. Match the description with either sexual or asexual reproduction:
a. Requires only one parent Asexual
b. Requires two parents Sexual
c. Produced you Sexual
d. Mixes DNA Sexual
e. Good for adapting to new situations Sexual
f. Good for producing lots of organisms in a small period of time Asexual
23. Identify whether the organism uses sexual or asexual reproduction (or both):
a. Aspen trees Both
b. Birds of paradise Sexual
c. Humans Sexual
d. Bacteria (single cells) Asexual
e. Aphids Both
24. What happens if reproduction continues without limits?
The organisms take over the world.
25. What are three theories on why organisms get old? (A few word explanation for each is
enough) 1) Telomeres wear off of DNA, 2) Free radicals cause oxidative damage in cells, 3) There
is no point in living a long time.
26. Why is living forever not necessarily a good idea? (Hint: is $100 a year for 5 years or $5 for a
hundred years better?)
Organisms will die one way or another, so it’s safer to bet on a short (but productive) life than a
super long one that might be cut short.
Station 5: Natural
Selection
27. In your bird simulation, what happened to the birds that survived over time? Did they always
stay the same?
Answers will vary, but they probably did not stay the same.
28. How is adaptation related to natural selection?
Adaptation is generally what it is called over the short term, while natural selection is the long
term.
29. How do organisms affect the future?
By having the most viable offspring.
30. Do organisms plan ahead to figure out what is best for their species?
No.
31. What is “losing” in nature?
Dying.
32. Natural selection is like the saying: “You don’t have to be faster than the bear, you just have to
run faster than the person next to you.”
33. Bonus: what is the name of the scientist that we associate with the idea of natural selection?
Charles Darwin
Station 6: Misc
34. The two organisms below are brightly colored for different reasons. What are they?
Butterfly: Warning they are poisonous
Peacock: Attracting mates
35. What sometimes happens to male spiders and praying mantises when they don’t impress the
female? They get eaten!
36. Video: What was the technical term for “caveman”?
Neanderthal.
37. Video: What was special about hagfish mucus?
It was strong, flexible, super-absorbent, and biodegradable.
38. What kinds of situations did these bird adaptations fit?
a. Sharp, curved beak Eating meat
b. Feathered toes Cold weather
c. Broad wings Soaring for long times
39. What made a good paper butterfly? (What were some tricks to make it hard to see?)
Answers will vary.