Editing Predator Prey (section)

== Why This Works ==

''Evolution'' is the process by which the traits of a species can adapt over the course of several generations. Animals can develop different traits due to minor mutations between generations. These traits can determine an animals likelihood of surviving and passing on its genes, and can be positive, neutral, or negative. ''Negative Traits'' are traits that hinder and animal, making it harder to eat or survive. In our game, the rubber mitt is a negative trait since it makes it hard to pick up the poker chips. This would be like finding a lion that had no teeth; it would be extremely hard for it to hunt prey, and harder still to chew food. ''Neutral Traits'' are traits that, although they do not hinder greatly, they can be adapted to. The foggy goggles are a neutral trait, since they make it harder to see but not so hard that you cannot see. On the poster board the foggy goggles trait can still get the red and blue chips easily, but the white chips have adapted to hide from it. ''Camouflage'' is when an organism has adapted how it looks so it can better blend in with its surroundings, allowing it to hide from predators or sneak up on prey. The white chips on the white background have camouflage against the foggy goggle trait, but the green goggle trait can see them. ''Positive Traits'' are traits that allow an animal to hunt better, hide better and survive longer, making the animal more likely to pass on the trait. The green goggles are a positive trait on the poster board, since they can see through the camouflage of the white poker chips and have no hindrances in that environment.

On the green tablecloth, however, we see that the green goggles become a neutral trait. This is because of a change in environment, and with it a change in what poker chips have camouflage. The blue and red chips become hard to see on the green background while wearing the green goggles, meaning that they have camouflage! This is because of a common evolutionary trait; colorblindness. The most common form of colorblindness is red-green, meaning that shades of red instead look green or brown. This means that a red bird, such as a cardinal, doesn't appear red to most of the animals that hunt it, but rather appears green or brown! The color blue can also appear to look blue-green, which makes it hard for a colorblind animal to spot bluebirds. If you put a foggy plastic filter over the green goggles, then they become a negative trait on the green tablecloth!