1.3: Analyze critically and apply the major principles of ecology and evolution

I was mostly introduced to this topic in Ecology and Evolution. This class went over evolutionary topics such as genetic drift, natural selection, and variation and adaptation. The first lab in this class introduced me to the topic of predation. Different colored pipe cleaners were randomly placed around a section of grass. Students were sent out to collect as many pipe cleaners as they could within a set amount a time. Afterwards, we counted the colors that were selected the most and the least. The group assessed that the pipe cleaners that blended in more with the grass and dirt were not picked up as often because they were harder to find. This is also typical with prey in the wild, the one’s that can camouflage are eaten less and so they have a higher tendency to survive. I also learned more about animal behavior in their environment due to the second lab which dealt with the tunneling behavior of ants in different soil types. My group surveyed ants in three different soil types and counted how many tunnels and the length and width of each tunnel to compare how the populations were handling their new environment.