Activity 101: Birds of a Feather?

Challenge How does Natural Selection help explain the extinction of the dodo bird and the success of the common pigeon?

Key Vocabulary:• Extinction• Natural Selection• Variation

Variation? What would Darwin Say?

Common Pigeon

Dodo Bird

Review

ORead the Intro on Page F-56 to yourself.

OJot down notes: What causes a species to die out (go extinct)?

Read Pages 57-59 Complete the

3- Level Reading Guide:

O1- Literal: Does the text say it?O2- Implied/ Intended Meaning: O3- Opinion: based on own

knowledge/ experience.

OWhen you are done, Answer Analysis Questions: 1, 2, 4 and 5b (Use the Discussion Web for 5b!)

Group Analysis Qs O1. If humans never interacted

with the dodo or pigeon, how do you think the history of the species would be different?

O2. Could the evolution of the feral pigeons be described as speciation (the formation of a new species)? Explain.

For Homework:

OAQ 3: Use Natural Selection to explain how the flying bird that first settled on Mauritius Island might have evolved into the flightless dodo bird.

Be sure to include the role of at least 2 mutations.