LYDIA BEREHE
The Natural Selection of Bunny Simulation Practical 8, March 2014
Introduction
Background information
Charles Darwin discovered and developed this evolutionary mechanism called natural selection. It basically stated that if there existed variation in population there would be a struggle of survival. Darwin meant that those traits that were the most fit would be passed on to the next generation more often.
Charles Darwin’s experiment was not 100% accurate. His definition of mechanism of evolution was quiet accurate but two major factors were missing.
1. He knew little about the factor causing the variation that he saw in nature
2. He could not explain
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Based on the color of the brown bunnies, it was easy to adapt and ‘’melt in’’ into the environment, as for the white bunnies it was not, since they ‘’stood out more’’ and became an easy catch for predators.
Experiment 2
In this experiment you will be examining the effect of a dominant mutation that changes how the organism obtains food.
Hypothesis for experiment 2
‘’My beliefs for this experiment is that the dominant mutation will eat all the vegetation there is, which will lead to the recessive ones dying out in lack of food.’’
Data table 2
Graphical Data
Percentage calculations
Generation number
Number of Normal teeth
Number of Long teeth
Total
% Normal Tooth Rabbits
% Long Tooth Rabbits
2
18
0
18
100%
0%
4
120
25
145
82%
18%
7
80
32
112
71%
29%
10
26
108
134
19%
81%
Analysis for experiment 2
Briefly explain how this change in DNA affected the allele frequency of the population. Be sure to use your data in this explanation.
In the table it is shown that the factor of food plays and important role. For the dominant mutation, the ones with long teeth, it takes more than 10 generations to grow stronger. The number shows that the dominant mutation uses up most of the vegetation which leads to less food to the recessive ones.
The change in DNA led to the normal tooth rabbits becoming less frequent in the population. Having long tooth brought the benefit of adapting in the
This equation is used to calculate the genotype frequency, so 1 = 100% of the population.
Evolution of the Rabbit Population with Default Predation and an Initial Decrease in the Grass Rate
This report presents an overview to: meiosis, chromosomes, traits, genotypes, and phenotypes displayed in the evolution of fast plants. Studying how the genetic information can be passed along one generation to the following. Also, learning various techniques to determine the possible genotypes of the four Wisconsin Fast Plants provided by analyzing the offspring and observing the phenotypic variation within them. Predicting that the parent plant was heterozygous with the first generation also displaying heterogeneous characteristics of non- purple stem/ Green leaves. And discovering that the null hypothesis was rejected for the chi-square being less than 5% meaning the observed phenotypes were due by chance.
From the results the hypothesis was supported. The selection against hairless plants reduced the number that would be present in future generations.
Some of the adaptations may include claws, behaviors, and the ability to camouflage (Biology 460). Darwin realized there was a connection with the way an organism survives and their environment. Different adaptations affect an organism 's fitness and the type of environment (Biology 460). “The difference in rates of survival and reproduction is called survival of the fittest” (Biology 460). Organisms with characteristics that are suited for the environment have the ability to survive and reproduce. However, organisms that have characteristics that are not suited for the environment have a low survival rate and have a limited number of offspring (Biology 460). Natural selection relates to the lab because only certain colored bead bugs were able to survive. The bead bugs that had an adaptation of color were able to blend in. The bead bugs that had a color that stood out were often eaten first. The bead bugs that have a color adaptation on their side had a higher survival rate and were able to reproduce and have many offspring. The bead bugs that did not have a color adaptation stood out. They had a low survival rate and had little to no to offspring. If the clear bead bug is put in the environment then it will survive the longest, because it will be able to blend in with the colors in the habitat.
Majority of mice in New Mexico’s Valley of Fire have dark color. The population increase of dark-colored mice in Valley of Fire happened because of natural selection. Mice that do not suit the environment, which are light-colored mice, cannot survive in Valley of Fire because they are easily noticed on dark soil by the predators. On the other hand, dark-colored mice can hide easily on dark soil, which made them survive. Whereas the mice near the desert are mutated, those near the lava are not mutated. Each mouse from different lava found to have a different gene. Whereas the mice near the desert’s color change was from a random mutation, that of the mice near the lavas was not random. Because, each dark-colored mouse from two different lavas
Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection, a scientific theory that supported the belief of evolution, was manipulated and applied to different areas of life, and thus it became the shaping force in European thought in the last half of the nineteenth century. Darwin, through observation of organisms, determined that a system of natural selection controlled the evolution of species. He found that the organisms that were most fit and assimilated to the environment would survive. They would also reproduce so that over time they would eventually dominate in numbers over the organisms with weaker characteristics. This new theory was radical and interesting to the scientific world but its effects reach far beyond this small institution of
Charles Darwin proposed that the mechanism of evolution is natural selection and that it explains
Throughout time, horses have evolved as a response to environmental changes and other factors. Beginning in the Eocene, the number of horse forms increased dramatically; exhibiting a variety of distinct adaptions to different environments (lab notes). However, by the end of the Pleistocene, the diversity disappeared, leaving a single extant genus; the Eqqus. During the 55 million years in which horses are believed to be evolving, and as environmental changes were taking place, there were changes in the vegetation of North America, Eurasia and Africa, influencing distinct selective forces. As a result, natural selection produced morphological adaptions; observed in the fossil record.
In this experiment, two types of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) were used: mutant and wild type. The wild-type flies had normal shaped wings and red eyes, while the mutant had either vestigial (short) wings or white (blind) eyes. The strains used for each mutation were W118 (white eyes) and strain 432 (vestigial wings). The flies with the vestigial mutation had the allele genotype of Vg-Vg- for female and the males had the allele genotype of Vg-Y. The flies with the white-eyed mutation had the female genotype of XwXw and the males had the genotype XwY. The population was created by crossing equal numbers of WT and Mutant flies. The populations were allowed to randomly mate for 10 generations in order to reach Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. We used half of the original population for the experiment and the other
This is a brief description of the hypothesis and the goals of the experiment. It should indicate what questions you, as a researcher, will be seeking to answer.
Charles Darwin broached the theory of natural selection in his book the Origin of Species, which has been considered the basis of evolutionary biology to this day. Natural selection is when populations of a species evolve over the course of many generations. Darwin believed that species were not created separately, but instead, species were derived from one another. In other words, the evolution of species creates many variations among creatures, and this is because all of those species came from a common ancestor, and characteristics changed to increase the species chance of survival.
Discussion: Part A- For every albino seedling there will be three green seedlings. Being green is
Charles Darwin was a man who shaped the way in which we think about evolution in modern times. He brought forth and described the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest. To fully understand modern evolutionary thoughts it is necessary for one to completely understand the early theories of Charles Darwin. In this paper I will provide the reader with a complete background on Charles Darwin, describe his voyage on the HMS Beagle, and discuss his theory of natural selection.
Charles Darwin theory of evolution contains two parts. The first part “Evolution Occurs” meaning organisms change over time in heritable physical or behavioral traits and life on earth has changed as people change from ancestors in the past. Second part “Evolution Occurs by Natural Selection” natural selection is the process in which living things with beneficial traits produce more off spring than others which results in changes that allow an organism to better adapt to its environment can help it survive over time. All life on earth is connected and related to each other and diversity of life came from modifications in populations in natural selectin. Natural selection can also be described as survival of the fittest in which the fittest is the ability to survive and reproduce. Most people believe that the species were created at the same time and remained unchanged after. Darwins ideas of evolution came before scientist knew about DNA it started on his voyage in 1831 when he was 22 years old he went on a scientific trip on a ship called HMS Beagle. He was the naturalist on the trip meaning he was supposed to observe and collect particles of dirt, rocks, animals, plants, and fossils. He was interested by his the nature he spent 3/5 years exploring nature on islands and contents. When Darwin returned he had become famous as a naturalist because a former teacher published Darwins observations.