TY - JOUR
T1 - Origami Bird Simulator
T2 - A Teaching Resource Linking Natural Selection and Speciation
AU - Yamanoi, Takahiro
AU - Iwasaki, Watal M.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank the teachers and students for their participation in our experiment, and the graduate school students and post‑doctoral fellows of SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies) for their cooperation in the preliminary questionnaire survey. Thanks are also due to H. Tanaka, O. Sakura, N. Mizushima, and M. Takemura for their insightful comments. This study was partially supported by a Grant‑in‑Aid for Scientific Research (B) #22330253 (MT) and a Grant‑in‑Aid for Young Scientists (B) # 25870669 (TY) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Yamanoi and Iwasaki.
PY - 2015/8/11
Y1 - 2015/8/11
N2 - The origami bird is a resource for teaching natural selection. A previous study incorporated the Gamete Mutation Box into the original protocol to assist in understanding the link between DNA mutation and natural selection. Having revised the protocol, we developed computer simulation software, called the Origami Bird Simulator (OBS), for teaching the connection between these two processes and speciation. In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of the protocol modification and integrating OBS into the protocol of previous study. OBS enables students to witness the speciation process in allopatric origami bird populations through geographic isolation and following reproductive isolation. Results of tests before and after the students' experiment suggest that this new protocol enhances their understanding of the linkages between mutation, natural selection, and speciation.
AB - The origami bird is a resource for teaching natural selection. A previous study incorporated the Gamete Mutation Box into the original protocol to assist in understanding the link between DNA mutation and natural selection. Having revised the protocol, we developed computer simulation software, called the Origami Bird Simulator (OBS), for teaching the connection between these two processes and speciation. In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of the protocol modification and integrating OBS into the protocol of previous study. OBS enables students to witness the speciation process in allopatric origami bird populations through geographic isolation and following reproductive isolation. Results of tests before and after the students' experiment suggest that this new protocol enhances their understanding of the linkages between mutation, natural selection, and speciation.
KW - Computer simulation
KW - Evolution education
KW - Genetic drift
KW - Japan
KW - Reproductive isolation
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U2 - 10.1186/s12052-015-0043-6
DO - 10.1186/s12052-015-0043-6
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85020569470
VL - 8
JO - Evolution: Education and Outreach
JF - Evolution: Education and Outreach
SN - 1936-6426
IS - 1
M1 - 14
ER -