Backyard evolutionary biology: Investigating local flowers brings learning to life

Inquiry-based learning allows students to actively engage in and appreciate the process of science. As college courses transition to online instruction in response to COVID-19, incorporating inquiry-based learning is all the more essential for student engagement. However, with the cancelation of in-person laboratory courses, implementing inquiry can prove challenging for instructors. Here, I describe a case that exemplifies a strategy for inquiry-based learning and can be adapted for use in various course modalities, from traditional face-to-face laboratory courses to asynchronous and synchronous online courses. I detail an assignment where students explore the developmental basis of morphological evolution. Flowers offer an excellent example to address this concept and are easy for students to access and describe. Students research local flowering plants, collect and dissect flower specimens to determine their whorl patterns, and generate hypotheses to explain the developmental genetic basis of the patterns identified. This task allows students to apply their scientific thinking skills, conduct guided exploration in nature, and connect their understanding of the developmental basis of evolutionary change to everyday life. Incorporating inquiry using readily available, tangible, tractable real-world examples represents a pragmatic and effective model that can be applied in a variety of disciplines during and beyond COVID-19.