How do bunny populations change in response to environmental factors? This simulation explores natural selection in bunny populations with PHET interactive. This resource has been available for years, but I’ve updated it to work with the current simulator. (Current version: March, 2022)

Students can manipulate mutations in bunnies, such as fur color and teeth length. By altering the environmental factors, students can see how the bunny populations change over time. For example, in a warm environment, more bunnies will have brown fur, but in the cold environment, more bunnies will have white fur.

The student worksheet includes instructions on how the simulator works. Then students perform a variety of “experiments” to explore mutations in the populations. I include this as part of a unit on evolution, so students are familiar with VIDA charts. Students complete a chart at the end of the activity to summarize how variations in populations lead to adaptation.

This worksheet is available as a Google Doc. Just copy to your own drive and you can easily assign it on Google Classroom or other LMS. Answer key is available for purchase at TpT.