Reference no: EM133545778

Background - Natural Selection Simulation

The lab for this week will be dealing with natural selection. Natural selection is an evolution force that tries to explain why particular alleles (genetic variants) become more common than others overtime.  For example, if a particular trait is found to be unusually common within a particular population, natural selection would suggest that selection for that specific trait might be at play if that trait is advantageous to that population.   The basic idea behind natural selection is that if a trait increases the chances of survival then that trait will become more common over time since those that are able to survive successfully are the ones that have a better chance of passing on their genes into the next generation.  Before you start this activity make sure you have a solid foundation of what an evolutionary mechanism is and how natural selection works.

What you are doing

For this lab you will play with a natural selection simulation.  Below are some basic instructions for the lab.  You will have to do a few simulations.

Go to simulation website and play the Intro game (not the Lab one).  You must play a minimum of three games. 

1. In your first simulation your environment is going to be dry with a brown background.  You will chose the brown fur color as recessive.  Allow three generations to pass before you introduce the wolves into your environment.  Perform the simulation 10 generations before you end.
2. In the second simulation your environment is going to be cold with a white background.  You will chose the brown fur color as recessive.  Allow three generations to pass before you introduce the wolves into your environment.  Take the simulation 10 generations before you end.
3. In the third simulation your environment is going to be dry with a brown background.  You will chose the brown fur color as dominant.  Allow three generations to pass before you introduce the wolves into your environment.  Take the simulation 10 generations before you end.

What you have to do for points

Natural Selection Questions

1. What does fitness mean in the context of Natural Selection? Define it in your own words.
2. How many alleles were present in your bunny population?
3. Which allele was most fit in the cold environment?   What explains their greater fitness?
4. A selective pressure is an environmental pressure that selects for a particular trait by eliminating other traits.  What was the most effective selective pressure in the second simulation.  The wolves or the Snow?  Explain your answer.
5. One of the things that natural selection works with is genetic variation.  What happened in your first or second simulation after you only had one genetic variant left?  How well did you population survive when everybody was the same?  Explain your answer.
6. How was the outcome different for simulation 3 when compared to simulation 1?