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What is a species?

3 wolvesIn this analysis and discussion activity, students learn that the concept of species is useful because organisms within a species are evolving relatively independently of other populations of organisms and thus can evolve a distinctive suite of adaptive characteristics.

Students confront the difficulties of defining a species and analyze data from various examples to appreciate that these difficulties arise from the realities of evolution.

The Student Handout is available in the first two attached files and as a Google doc designed for use in online instruction and distance learning. The Teacher Notes, available in the last two attached files, provide instructional suggestions and background information and explain how this activity is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.

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SpeciesSH.docx1.16 MB
SpeciesSH.pdf290.19 KB
SpeciesTN.docx348.91 KB
SpeciesTN.pdf280.13 KB
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Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To preserve the value of these learning activities for other teachers, please do not post keys for any questions from any of these activities!

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Authors

Dr. Ingrid Waldron is Professor Emerita in the Biology Department at the University of Pennsylvania. Co-authors include Dr. Jennifer Doherty, who is an Assistant Professor in the Physiology Department at Michigan State University, and Dr. Lori Spindler, who is a Lecturer in the Biology Department at the University of Pennsylvania. They have developed these activities in collaboration with colleagues at Penn and middle school and high school teachers in the Philadelphia area. We are grateful to Craig Douglas for his generous help with graphics.

 

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