Today is rung 4 of 7 on this topic
Evolution, evidence and ecosystems
Can do: Marshals multiple lines of evidence for evolution and explains energy flow through an ecosystem.
Why it matters
Evolution is the framework that makes biology coherent, and handling the evidence is a lesson in how science establishes anything.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Can define natural selection but cannot list the independent evidence that supports it.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Name four independent lines of evidence for common ancestry."
Solid looks like: Fossils, comparative anatomy, DNA similarity, embryology, biogeography — any four.
The full activity for this topic · 30 minutes
Four Lines of Evidence
- 1Research one line of evidence properly and summarise it in a paragraph.
- 2Repeat for three more.
- 3Ask the key question: why does independent evidence matter more than a lot of one kind?
- 4Look at a real example — antibiotic resistance — and trace the selection happening now.
- 5Build a food web for a local ecosystem and trace energy loss between levels.
If it's too hard
Two lines of evidence, summarised.
If it's too easy
Read a real study abstract and evaluate its evidence.
Say this
"Why is four different kinds of evidence stronger than a hundred of the same kind?"