Finches on the Galapagos Islands have evolved to exploit almost every possible niche. This diagram shows the range of food sources available on the island and the different beak shapes adapted to exploit each of them.

A complete resource including a biography, chronology, examples of Wallace's published work, quotes, and interviews.

These images from the Smithsonian Institution depict Nancy Knowlton's work with snapping shrimp in Panama. Knowlton found that the closing of the isthmus -- dividing the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean -- resulted in new species of shrimp.

This annotated slideshow adapted from KET's Electronic Field Trip to the Forest illustrates how blight decimated the American chestnut tree and the methods scientists use to identify and pollinate the remaining trees to create blight-resistant trees.

How does urbanization affect nonhuman populations, and how can we minimize harmful effects? How does urbanization affect nonhuman populations, and how can we minimize harmful effects? This unit on natural selection and evolution of populations focuses on the phenomenon of increasing urbanization around the world and the impact of that change on nonhuman populations. Students investigate case studies that investigate fragmentation, poison, and proximity to humans as selection pressures that affect the relative fitness of individuals with particular anatomical, physiological, and behavioral traits in a population. Through investigations with complex data sets, they figure out how genetic diversity in a population allows populations to adapt to changes encountered in urban environments.

OpenSciEd content is highly rated in EdReports and is aligned to NGSS standards.

This pathway explores how physical features of a species can change over time in response to environmental factors influencing survival. Learn about well known case studies like Darwin's finches and peppered moths, and conduct your own investigations through simulations.

Students toss coins to determine what traits a set of mouse parents possess, such as fur color, body size, heat tolerance, and running speed. Then they use coin tossing to determine the traits a mouse pup born to these parents possesses. Then they compare these physical features to features that would be most adaptive in several different environmental conditions. Finally, students consider what would happen to the mouse offspring if those environmental conditions were to change: which mice would be most likely to survive and produce the next generation?

Classroom resources paired with a ten-minute video highlight the groundbreaking research of physical and genetic evolutionary changes in rock pocket mouse populations. [10:31]

Students watch a short animation showing how the pocket mouse adapts and evolves in a changing environment. Includes discussion questions. [0:20]

Four decades of research on finch species that live only on the Galapagos Islands illuminate how species form and multiply. [15:54] An interactive version of the video with embedded questions for students is available through a link in the text on the main page.

Through video clips, demonstrations, and inquiry learn how the wing morph functions in the process of evolution. [0:29]

Explore the patterns and processes of evolution. Learn how evolution and natural selection are reflected in the similarities and differences of organisms. [9:03]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

A team of scientists studied the schooling behavior of threespine stickleback fish by experimentally testing how individual fish responded to an artificial fish school model.

Penn State University anthropologist Dr. Nina Jablonski walks us through the evidence that the different shades of skin color among human populations arose as adaptations to the intensity of ultraviolet radiation in different parts of the world. [18:57]

Biology 2e is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester biology course for science majors. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology includes rich features that engage students in scientific inquiry, highlight careers in the biological sciences, and offer everyday applications. The book also includes various types of practice and homework questions that help students understand—and apply—key concepts. The 2nd edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Art and illustrations have been substantially improved, and the textbook features additional assessments and related resources.

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe how scientists developed the present-day theory of evolution
Define adaptation
Explain convergent and divergent evolution
Describe homologous and vestigial structures
Discuss misconceptions about the theory of evolution