Provided by: BioInteractive |Published on: February 9, 2026
Lesson Plans
9101112AP
Synopsis
This resource from BioInteractive focuses on a study done by researchers in the Caribbean to determine the influence of hurricanes on the genetic makeup of anole lizard poopulations.
Students will analyze images of the lizards from the study, discuss what this study implies in the broader context of evolution, and complete other activities to explore natural selection, evolution, and animal traits.
This resource includes links and suggestions for a variety of other activities, giving teachers many opportunities to build on students' interests and expand on their skills.
Students will enjoy the video describing the study and demonstrating the experiment.
Prerequisites
Teachers may not have access to the original paper linked in the Educator Materials.
To begin the Lizard Evolution Virtual Lab, students will need to select the module in the top left section.
Differentiation & Implementation
To make connections to climate change, teachers can discuss how climate change is impacting the frequency and severity of hurricanes. Teachers can use this lesson as a follow-up or a precursor to the activity.
To continue the topic of the impacts of climate change on species' evolution, teachers can implement this podcast episode, or have students discuss the combined effects of climate change, habitat loss, deforestation, pollution, and overharvesting on extinctions and biodiversity loss.
Teachers can use this resource to make connections to the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 15, Life on Land.
Teachers can cut the images from the student handout into strips, having students analyze one of the lizards at a time, with each student studying a different lizard. Students can then pair up or group up to discuss the differences between their lizards.
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About the Partner Provider
BioInteractive
BioInteractive brings the power of real science stories into tens of thousands of high school and undergraduate life science classrooms.
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