Natural Selection LabPhET Simulation

Pre-Lab Questions
1. What variables can you influence in this lab?
Fur color (brown/white), long/short tail, long teeth, selection factor (wolves/none/food),
environment (equator/arctic)
2. Define what a genetic mutation is. How do genetic mutations happen? How often?
Its changes in genetic sequence that cause diversity among others. Genetic mutations
can happen in 2 ways, either Hereditary or Somatic. Its impossible to tell when exactly
the gene mutations happen.
3. What do the terms fitness and adaptation mean? What is the difference between the
two?
Terms fitness is the ability for an organism to get survive and reproduce in the
environment, rather Adaptation means like natural selection, that the inherited
characteristic increases the organisms chance of survive.
So the different is
Fitness : the ones that survive the longest are most likely to reproduce more
Adaptation : the one that has more beneficial characteristic will get survive and live
longer
4. What selection factors might effect an animal population besides the ones used in
this lab?
Abiotic factors (temperature, seasons, etc.)
Designing The Experiment
In this Lab you will be controlling the mutations and environment of a population of rabbits. Your
will create four hypotheses and design an experiment to test each one. Your hypothesis will
follow the format where you fill in the (...) with your own ideas and reasons.
I hypothesize that (select a rabbit phenotype) rabbits will be (more/ less) likely to
survive under (type of selective factor) within the (select type of environment)
environment, because..... (explain how their trait will help them to survive or not)
1) I hypothesize that BROWN FUR rabbits will be MORE likely to survive under WOLVES
within the EQUATOR environment, because THEIR COLOR ARE SIMILAR TO THE
ENVIRONMENT, SO ITS MORE HARD FOR THE PREDATORS TO CATH THEM.

2) I hypothesize that LONG TAIL rabbits will be LESS likely to survive under WOLVES
within the EQUATOR environment, because THEIR LONG TAIL MAKES THE
PREDATORS MORE EASY TO FIND THEM.
3) I hypothesize that LONG TEETH rabbits will be MORE likely to survive under FOOD
within the ARCTIC environment, because THEY CAN EAT BETTER THEIR FOOD AND
THEIR COLOR MATCH WITH THE ENVIRONMENT.

***You must make at least one hypothesis for each of the three different types of phenotype
mutations***

For each experiment you must have a control (no mutation) and fill in the following chart
Experiment and Hypothesis

Pheno
type

Selective
Factor

CONTROL
Group
Initial
Population at
F3

CONTROL
Group
Final
Population

Experiment
Group
Initial
Population at
F3

Experiment
Group
Final
Population

Conclusion/
Observation

1)

1. I hypothesize that
brown fur rabbits will be
more likely to survive
under wolves within the
equator environment,
because Their color are
similar to the
environment, so its
more hard for the
predators to catch them.

Brown Fur

Wolves

6 white rabbits

18 white
rabbits

1 brown fur
5 white fur

100 brown fur

2 white fur

The brown fur rabbits have

better chance of survive
because their color give them
beneficial characteristic so their
predators hard to find them

2)

I hypothesize that long

tail rabbits will be less
likely to survive under
wolves within the
equator environment,
because their long tail
makes the predator
easier to find them.

Long Tail

Wolves

6 white rabbits

55 white
rabbits

1 long tail
5 short tail

42 long tail
12 short tail

The long tail rabbit precisely get

more chance to survive rather
than the short tail rabbit

3)

I hypothesize that long

teeth rabbits will be
more likely to survive
under wolves within the
arctic environment,
because they can eat
better and their color
camouflage with the
environment.

Long teeth

Food

6 white rabbits

18 white
rabbits

1 long teeth
13 short teeth

150 long teeth

335 short teeth

The long teeth rabbit has less

ability to survive than the long
teeth rabbit

For each of the experiments, begin by adding a friend and a mutation. Wait until the F3
generation before adding the selective factor. After adding the selective factor let the
simulation run for another 3 or 4 generations.
Use the population numbers from the chart to get you numbers for the table, remember
you can zoom in and out on the chart to get more accurate reads.
Repeat for experiments 2, 3 and 4

Post-Lab Questions
1. Based upon your evidence from the simulation what conclusion are you able to make
about each of the three different types of phenotypes in rabbits?
The rabbit that has beneficial characteristic for survive will produce more offspring
and have better chance to live longer
2. What happens to animals that cannot compete as well with other animals in the wild?
They either move to another habitat or die due to lack of food
3. Sometimes animals that are introduced into an area that they never lived in before, outcompete and endanger resident species, why do you think this happens?
Cause theyre not fit and havent adapted with the new environment
4. If only one species is considered the "fittest", why do we still have so many variations
among species. Why do some birds have very long pointy beaks, while other birds have
short flat beaks?
Because each bird has different type of food (flower), so they need to adapt their
characteristic to help them easier get food.
5. How do you think diseases can affect natural selection?
Natural Selection can also called are survival of the fittest. Which means if those
organisms that resistance to the disease theyll be survive/live longer and keep
producing, rather the rest of them die away.
6. How does this simulation mimic natural selection? In what ways does this simulation fail to
represent the process of natural selection?
Because there are characteristic, selection factor, even environment that we can
choose which by represent the natural selection in real life. The fail part is maybe on the
exact amount of the animal that wont be match with the real life situation.

Extension- Changing the Dominance and

Recessive Alleles
Take one of the experiments from the lab. Recreate the same
experiment, EXCEPT when you add the mutation EDIT THE
GENES by switching the dominant and recessive allele for that
trait. Make a hypothesis, fill in the chart again and compare the
results to your initial experiment.
I hypothesize that dominance white fur rabbits will be less likely to survive under wolves within
the equator environment, because their color makes them easier to find.

Experiment
and
Hypothesis

Pheno
type

Selective
Factor

CONTROL
Group
Initial
Population
at F3

CONTROL
Group
Final
Population

Experment
Group
Initial
Population at
F3

Experiment
Group
Final Population

Conclusion/
Observation

I hypothesize that
dominance white fur
rabbits will be less likely to
survive under wolves
within the equator
environment, because
their color makes them
easier to find.

Dominance
white fur
rabbit

Wolves

1 brown fur
5 white fur

16 brown fur
38 whiter fur

1 brown fur
5 white fur

13 brown fur
41 white fur

The white fur rabbit are more

dominant than the brown fur
rabbit

1. Did switching the alleles for dominant and recessive have any impact on the population of
rabbits? If so Why? In nothing changed Why not?
Yes it does impact the population, because the white fur rabbit has dominant allele
that makes them have bigger chance to have white fur characteristic offspring.
2. Two parent rabbits are both heterozygous for the trait. Create Punnet squares for the
original experiment and the new experiment (with the changed alleles). What are the
phenotype ratios of the Punnet squares? Does this evidence support your finding? and
how?
Phenotype Ratio
BB
bb
Original Experiment :
(brown) (white) Brown Fur : White Fur
Bb
Bb
1
:
3
(brown) (brown)
New Experiment :

bb
(brown)
Bb
(white)

BB
(white)
Bb
(white)

Phenotype Ratio
Brown Fur : White Fur
3
:
1

And it does support my finding, because the characteristic that has dominant allele will dominant
the area

3. If this new experiment were to run longer would the end result be the same or different
from the original experiment?
Its definitely different, because the characteristic that has dominant allele will produce
more offspring

Extension- Working with PedigreesSwitch from the population chart to the pedigree
chart
Begin by adding a friend and a mutation. Wait until
the F5 generation. Copy the Pedigree for two
rabbits (described below) using the key. Assume
that male rabbits are on the left and female rabbits
are on the right.

Find these two rabbits, make sure they have at least four generations:
1. Select a rabbit that has the mutation.
2. Select a rabbit without the mutation but with parents or grandparent with the mutation.
Answer the following questions:
1. How could using a pedigree be helpful?
to know either theyre carrier or not, their generation, and the characteristic or traits
that they pass to their offspring

2. What does it mean to have a yellow triangle above the rabbit?

They have been mutated

3. What does it mean when a rabbit has a red X over it?

they has recessive allele

4. How accurate are the pedigrees used in this lab? Did each couple only have one baby?
The pedigree are quite accurate, and yes each couple only produce one offspring.