As an Undergraduate Biological Sciences teacher, you can use this set of computer based tools to enable students to develop a comprehensive understanding about how vertebrate populations of red deer (Cervus elaphus) show evolutionary responses in terms of reproductive fitness to climate change.
Through this lesson students can observe how warming temperatures caused by climate change can have a direct effect on advancement of parturition time or breeding time. The changed breeding time and optimum fitness may reshape selective pressure and decrease population growth and place them at risk
Thus, the use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core
topic in the Biological Sciences.
The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:
Teacher-contributed lesson plan by Dr. Simran Jit (Assistant Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi) and Dr. Jaspreet Kaur (Assistant Professor, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi)
Want to know more about how to contribute? Contact us.| Grade Level | Undergraduate |
| Discipline | Biological Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Evolution, Evolutionary Biology, Natural Selection, Reproductive Fitness, Fecundity, Red Deer, Cervus elaphus |
| Climate Topic | Climate and the Biosphere |
| Location | Global |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online |
| Approximate Time Required | 55-60 min |
| Share |
|
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Video (2 mins)
A video titled, “Evolutionary Thinking: Natural Selection” by Yale Courses, can be used to discuss the principle of reproductive fitness and how it is related with natural selection. This video can be used to discuss the basic conditions which are required for natural selection to occur. One of these conditions include ‘variation in reproductive success
Video (14 mins)
This article titled, “The Meaning of Fitness” by Sedeer el-Showk, can be used to emphasize the role of variation in reproductive success using the article.
Reading (20 mins)
The video titled “Scottish red deer ‘evolving’ due to climate change” by Sharjah24 News, can be used to discuss how the animals are evolving in order to cope up with climate change by giving the recent example of red deer which are giving birth slightly earlier each year due to warming climate
Reading (5 mins)
An article titled, “The role of selection and evolution in changing parturition date in a red deer population” by Timothée Bonnet et. al., can be used to further build upon the original research article, wherein the role of selection and evolution in changing parturition date in a red deer population has been discussed in detail.
Classroom/Laboratory Activity (15-20 mins)
Now, conduct the classroom/laboratory activity to explore the topic in more detail. This activity will help students to learn the basic concepts of natural selection and reproductive variance wherein different selective pressures like climate change can change the parturition date in a red deer population.
Navigate to the ‘S1 Data. Data necessary to reproduce all analysis’ under ‘Supporting Information’ of the original research article (Bonnet et al., 2019)
Then conduct simple linear regression analysis for parturition date or offspring birth date (in days) over the 45-year study period (from 1972 to 2016). The steps are given below:
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Video | (From 0 to 7:00 min) Fitness and Natural Selection This can be accessed here. |
| 2 | Reading | This article provides the details about reproductive fitness and how it is linked with natural selection.
This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Video, “Scottish red deer ‘evolving’ due to climate change” | by Sharjah24 News, Youtube |
| 2 | Video, “Fitness and fecundity” | by Ross Firestone, Khan Academy Channel, Youtube |
| 3 | Video, “Fitness and Natural Selection” | by Wilson Biology Lab Channel, Youtube. |
| 4 | Reading and activity, “The role of selection and evolution in changing parturition date in a red deer population” | Bonnet, T., Morrissey, M. B., Morris, A., Morris, S., Clutton-Brock, T. H., Pemberton, J. M., & Kruuk, L. E. B. (2019). The role of selection and evolution in changing parturition date in a red deer population. PLOS Biology, 17(11),e3000493 |
| 5 | Reading, “The Meaning of Fitness” | by Sedeer el-Showk, Nature Education, |
| Grade Level | Undergraduate |
| Discipline | Biological Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Evolutionary Biology, Natural Selection, Reproductive Fitness, Fecundity, Red Deer, Cervus elaphus |
| Climate Topic | Climate and the Biosphere |
| Location | Global |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online |
| Approximate Time Required | 55-60 min |
| Share |
|
| Download The Resource |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Video (2 mins)
A video titled, “Evolutionary Thinking: Natural Selection” by Yale Courses, can be used to discuss the principle of reproductive fitness and how it is related with natural selection. This video can be used to discuss the basic conditions which are required for natural selection to occur. One of these conditions include ‘variation in reproductive success
Video (14 mins)
This article titled, “The Meaning of Fitness” by Sedeer el-Showk, can be used to emphasize the role of variation in reproductive success using the article.
Reading (20 mins)
The video titled “Scottish red deer ‘evolving’ due to climate change” by Sharjah24 News, can be used to discuss how the animals are evolving in order to cope up with climate change by giving the recent example of red deer which are giving birth slightly earlier each year due to warming climate
Reading (5 mins)
An article titled, “The role of selection and evolution in changing parturition date in a red deer population” by Timothée Bonnet et. al., can be used to further build upon the original research article, wherein the role of selection and evolution in changing parturition date in a red deer population has been discussed in detail.
Classroom/Laboratory Activity (15-20 mins)
Now, conduct the classroom/laboratory activity to explore the topic in more detail. This activity will help students to learn the basic concepts of natural selection and reproductive variance wherein different selective pressures like climate change can change the parturition date in a red deer population.
Navigate to the ‘S1 Data. Data necessary to reproduce all analysis’ under ‘Supporting Information’ of the original research article (Bonnet et al., 2019)
Then conduct simple linear regression analysis for parturition date or offspring birth date (in days) over the 45-year study period (from 1972 to 2016). The steps are given below:
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Video | Fitness and fecundity
This can be accessed here. |
| 2 | Video | Selection and Fitness
This can be accessed here. |
| 3 | Reading | This article provides the details about reproductive fitness and how it is linked with natural selection.
This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Video, “Scottish red deer ‘evolving’ due to climate change” | by Sharjah24 News, Youtube. |
| 2 | Video, “Fitness and fecundity” | by Ross Firestone, Khan Academy Channel, Youtube |
| 3 | Video, “Fitness and Natural Selection” | by Wilson Biology Lab Channel, Youtube. |
| 4 | Reading and activity, “The role of selection and evolution in changing parturition date in a red deer population” | Bonnet, T., Morrissey, M. B., Morris, A., Morris, S., Clutton-Brock, T. H., Pemberton, J. M., & Kruuk, L. E. B. (2019). The role of selection and evolution in changing parturition date in a red deer population. PLOS Biology, 17(11),e3000493 |
| 5 | Reading, “The Meaning of Fitness” | by Sedeer el-Showk, Nature Education |
