Question

How many of each color were left after trial 4? If each square represented an individual in a population of beetles, what do you think the construction paper color represented? Did you end up with an equal amount of squares for each color? If not, why do you think some colors had more squares left than others? What did picking up squares represent? What did adding squares represent? How does this activity simulate natural selection?

Answer 1

You'd have to add more detail to answer the first question. The paper color represents some trait of the beetles, maybe color. If some colors had more squares at the end then whatever that trait was, it was favored (either fewer of them died, or they had more babies). Picking up squares is death (maybe from predation) Adding squares is births (having babies) This is what natural selection is. Some traits are favored such that the beetles that have them are less likely to die and more likely to have babies. So, every generation, there are more of those types of beetles added to the population. Hope this helps.