In this multi-day biology capstone project, students design a scientifically plausible species adapted to a unique environment and ecological niche while investigating how genetics, mutation, environmental change, and natural selection influence population evolution over time.

Students explore how environmental pressures shape survival and reproductive success as they model how populations change across generations through natural selection.

Throughout this project, students connect genetics and evolution concepts within one integrated biological system while engaging in evidence-based scientific reasoning and systems thinking.

Rather than memorizing isolated vocabulary terms, students actively apply concepts such as:

• adaptation
• inheritance
• genotype vs phenotype
• mutation
• reproductive success
• selective pressures
• population evolution
• natural selection

This project emphasizes:

scientifically accurate evolution reasoning, population-level thinking, and realistic evolutionary tradeoffs.

Students are challenged to design interconnected adaptations that make ecological sense while avoiding unrealistic “perfect organisms.” Through environmental change events, mutation analysis, and natural selection modeling, students investigate how advantageous traits may become more common over many generations.

This resource works especially well as:

• a Natural Selection & Evolution unit project
• a Genetics —> Evolution capstone
• a final biology synthesis project
• an inquiry-based performance assessment

What Students Will Do

• Analyze environmental selective pressures
• Investigate ecological niches
• Design interconnected adaptations
• Evaluate adaptation tradeoffs
• Apply inheritance patterns and Punnett squares
• Analyze genotype vs phenotype relationships
• Investigate mutation effects
• Examine environmental change events
• Model natural selection over generations
• Explain population-level evolutionary change
• Create a final evolutionary species model/project

You Will Receive 8 Files:

• Google Slides: Teacher Presentation
• Google Slides: Student Investigation Packet
• Google Slides: Environment Cards
• Google Slides: Ecological Niche Cards
• Google Slides: Mutation Cards
• Google Slides: Environmental Change Cards
• PDF: Teacher Guide
• Google Slides: Editable Canva Link

Editable Canva version included. You may make a copy to customize for your classroom. A Canva account is required to edit.

Important Scientific Emphasis

This project intentionally reinforces:

• populations evolve over generations
• individuals do NOT evolve during their lifetime
• mutations occur randomly
• natural selection acts on variation
• environmental conditions influence fitness
• adaptations involve tradeoffs

This project is designed to promote meaningful scientific reasoning, systems thinking, and scientifically accurate evolution modeling through engaging, inquiry-based learning experiences.

If you have any questions, I’m always happy to help!

You May Also Like:

• Natural Selection Concept Builder Station Notes
• Evidence for Evolution Stations
• Human Evolution Through Deep Time
• How Do We Know Evolution Happens? A Mini Scientific Investigation
• Cell Evolution Timeline Activity
• Natural Selection Lab: Chromabeetles
• Antibiotic Resistance Simulation Using Beads

Check out this Evolution Case Study Series:

• WildGenome Case 007: Fossil Record Investigation
• WildGenome Case 008: Wildfire Survival Investigation - Bottleneck Effect
• WildGenome Case 009: Sinkhole Survival Investigation - Genetic Drift
• WildGenome Case 010: Spider Dispersal Investigation - Founder Effect