Key learning points

1. A simple model can be used to demonstrate natural selection, e.g. picking up green and white cocktail sticks from grass.
2. The model can be used to make predictions about how a population will change over time due to natural selection.
3. The prediction may change if the environmental conditions change (e.g. if the grass becomes frosty/snowy).

Keywords

• Natural selection - Organisms that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive, reproduce and pass on their genes to their offspring.

• Model - Scientists use models as simpler representations of complex things and ideas.

• Hypothesis - An idea based on observations about how something works.

• Prediction - A scientific prediction is a testable statement about a possible outcome of an experiment.

Common misconception