Hunger Games Final Analysis

1. In this lab we simulated generations of a population by having each generation have to get enough food to survive and reproduce.
2. The pincher was the most successful at getting food because it could do it very easily and quickly, leading to survival and reproduction.
3. The population did evolve because the allele frequency changed. The allele frequency was roughly equal in the beginning but by the third generation the A allele only consisted of 3% of the total alleles and the a allele was 97%. This is a drastic change in the allele frequency, and it showed in the phenotypes as most of the populations were pinchers, with few knucklers and no stumpys while the amount of each phenotype was equal in the beginning.
4. The food placement was often random and reproduction usually created a random offspring (given that the traits were present). Sometimes the food was not random and favored some over others. This could affect evolution because it can favor some without the best traits and cause some with the best traits to die to to chance.
5. If the food was smaller it may favor pinchers even more, but if it was large it may favor stumpys instead. If the food source changes or one food source goes down or extinct individuals with certain traits who were not favored before may be favored then.
6. the results may have been different if there was no incomplete dominance. There would be no knucklers, only stumpys and pinchers. At one point in the lab the stumpys went extinct but came back thanks to the knuckers. If they went extinct with no incomplete dominance they wouldn't be able to come back.
7. Evolution is caused by natural selection. Natural selection picks the individuals with the best survival traits to survive and reproduce. By weeding out the bad traits, those soon disappear or become less common while the better traits become more common, changing the population.
8. Individuals often mated with other individuals of the same phenotype, which cause the knucklers and stumpys to stick around. This relates to sexual selection found in nature. To increase chances of survival individuals sometimes cheated to get their food and stole from others. This can also happen in nature.
9. In evolution populations evolve. Natural selection acts on the genotype which affects the phenotype. Natural selection affects what genes are passed from parents to offspring which determines their traits.
10. What are more examples of events or things that could change a population? How have humans affected this process?

20 Time Garden Project Update

Lots has happened in the past few weeks pertaining to my 20 time garden project. My path has been redirected slightly, but in a good way. I talked with Mr. Fitzgerald, a science teacher at Redwood Middle School, about the Redwood school garden. He is in charge and has a lot of ideas on how to make the garden and the campus a better place. I would like to dedicate my 20 time to helping him achieve this. He has ideas on planting native plants around the school to beautify the campus and teach students about the importance of native plants. He also has projects planned for the garden such as a greenhouse and a worm composting bin. I have spent time researching these things to ensure these projects are as successful as they can be. I would like to further research these topics and make a landscape plan for the native plants.

Unit 7 Reflection

This unit was about ecology and some of the harmful effects humans have on the planet. One of the most important concepts in ecology is trophic levels and the food web. This explains how energy moves through an ecosystem and also shows how an ecosystem can collapse. Population is another factor that influences ecosystems. Populations change frequently and are dependent on factors like water, resources, food and space. When the growth of a population levels out, it is said that the species has reached its carrying capacity. Humans have not reached the carrying capacity yet but population growth has slowed down. Limitations of resources are the main limitation for species. To keep resources available, several crucial cycles such as the water cycle, carbon cycle, phosphorous cycle, and nitrogen cycle.



Humans are exploiting these resources and endangering ecosystems and species across the planet. Habitat destruction, climate change, and over exploitation are some of the main reasons the planet is this way. We need to act fast to preserve biodiversity, slow climate change, and reduce the amount of resources we use and pollutants and waste we create. If everyone makes a conscious effort to save the Earth, it will add up for the benefit.

Some questions I have are is it too late? What will happen when we exhaust all the natural resources? How are animals adapting to these changes? What can we do to help?

Our conservation biologist project went pretty well. We worked well as a group to complete the project on time. Everyone finished their share of work so we didn't have to worry. Like all group projects, it could be frustrating at times because you have to compromise and things don't always go as planned.

On the self assessment, I was not surprised with my results. I am fairly assertive but also sometimes passive. In my everyday life I have noticed that I do not always speak up when I probably should. I think if I act assertive like it says in the video, it will definitely make me a more assertive person.

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/732996661223096321