Natural Selection Lab- PhET

Simulation

Astrid 10D

Pre-Lab Questions
1. What variables can you influence in this lab?
Fur color, type of teeth, environment, food rabbit population and wolf population

2. Define what a genetic mutation is. How do genetic mutations happen? How often?
Genetic mutation is a phenomenon where the DNA sequence of the offspring is different
with the parent’s DNA sequence, resulting with the offspring having its own different
characteristic that could be beneficial or disadvantageous. Mutation could happen
anytime, but mutations with visible result do not appear as much and the chances of its
occurrences are very unpredictable, but for certain it occurs in every generation.
Environment could also influence mutations.

3. What do the terms fitness and adaptation mean? What is the difference between the
two?
Adaptation is the process of organism to become better suited with its environment
through changes in the body and way of living. Fitness is when mutated organisms
reproduce itself to the point that their population is close to matching their previous
non-mutated organism’s population.

4. What selection factors might effect an animal population besides the ones used in
this lab?
← Weather and climate change, because organisms need to adapt to their
environment’s climate and only the population who can adapt well with the changing
climate will survive better and have larger population. Diseases can also affect the
population of the animal and only those immune to the disease will have larger
population.

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)
 ***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 Pheno Selective CONTROL CONTROL Experment Experiment Conclusion/
and type Factor Group Group Group Group Observation
Hypothesis Initial Final Initial Final
Population Population Population Population
at F3 at F3

I hypothesize that Fur Wolves White White Brown Brown Brown rabbits
rabbits with brown color rabbits rabbits (1) rabbits (5) rabbits (41) survive better in
fur will be more (13) the equator, while
likely to survive the white rabbit
against the wolves survive better in
within the equator the arctic
environment, because they
because they could survive better in
camouflage better environments
than the rabbits with where they could
white fur camouflage with
their surrounding
to hide from
predators and get
preys easier

I hypothesize that Tail Wolves Short Short Long Long tailed Short tailed
rabbits with longer length tailed tailed tailed rabbits (2) rabbits does not
tail will be less likely rabbits rabbits (4) rabbits (5) survive better
to survive against (13) and fall prey to
the wolves in any wolf easier
environment because its hard
because it will be for hem to jump
harder for them to faster with longer
jump faster with tails, shown by
longer tails to avoid the fact the
the wolves population of
short tailed
rabbits
decreased more
I hypothesize that Teeth Food Short Short Long teeth Long teeth Rabbits with
rabbits with longer length teeth teeth rabbit (1) rabbit (14) longer teeth
teeth will be more rabbit (5) rabbit (4) survive better
likely to survive under the food
under the food factor because
factor in any they can eat
environment, more type of food
because rabbit with easier
longer teeth can eat
more type of food
easier

• 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?
Rabbits with white fur have a higher chance of survival in the arctic, while rabbits with
brown fur have a higher chance of survival in the equator since they could camouflage
with their environment. Rabbits with short tail have a higher chance of survival in any
type of environment because it’s easier for them to jump faster with short tail compared
to long tail. Rabbits with longer teeth survive better in any type of environment because
long teeth enable them to eat more type of food easier.

2. What happens to animals that cannot compete as well with other animals in the
wild?
They will lose competition to animals with superior survival ability, so they will either be
eliminated/extinct, or their population will decrease to the point it become smaller than
the population of the animal with superior survival ability.

3. Sometimes animals that are introduced into an area that they never lived in before
out-compete and endanger resident species, why do you think this happens?
Because when the animals moved into a new environment, the predators in the are did
not recognize them as a prey, therefore they could avoid the predators better and ending
up having more population and end up competing for food with the resident species.
They might also bring disease to the environment that only they are immune of.

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 a species is considered the “fittest” in their own environment, but variations of
species live in different environments with different conditions. Each variation had their
own superior ability that enables them to survive better in their own environment.
5. How do you think diseases can affect natural selection?
Disease can reduce an organism’s population in a certain environment. It’s all about
survival of the fittest. Organisms who managed to get immune to the disease will survive
and end up having more population.

6. How does this simulation mimic natural selection? In what ways does this
simulation fail to represent the process of natural selection?
This simulation mimics natural selection by showing us that superior survival ability help
organisms to survive better. However, it also fail to represent natural selection since it is
not accurate and there are some experiment errors that could happen if we suddenly
change the factor, mutation or environment.
 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.

Experiment Pheno Selective CONTROL CONTROL Experment Experiment Conclusion/

and type Factor Group Group Group Group Observation
Hypothesis Initial Final Initial Final
Population at Population Population Population
F3 at F3

I hypothesize that Teeth Food Short teeth Short Long teeth Long teeth Rabbits with
rabbits with a recessive length rabbit (17) teeth rabbit (1) rabbit (4) longer teeth still
trait of longer teeth will rabbit (3) survive better
be more likely to under the food
survive under the food factor despite it
factor in any being a
environment, because recessive trait,
rabbit with longer teeth the only
can eat more type of difference is the
food easier growth rate of
the long teeth
rabbit is slower
since the trait is
recessive

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?

Rabbits with longer teeth still survive better under the food factor despite it being a
recessive trait; the only difference is the growth rate of the long teeth rabbit is slower
since the trait is recessive. Rabbit with longer teeth still has better chance of survival
because long teeth enable them to consume more type of food easily.
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?

T t
T TT Tt
t Tt tt

Phenotype (1st experiment) = 3:1

(With long teeth as the dominant trait and short teeth as the recessive trait)

Phenotype (2nd experiment) = 3:1

(With short teeth as the dominant trait and long teeth as the recessive trait)

This evidence did support our finding since in the first experiment, the long teeth rabbit’s
growth are more rapid and on the second experiment, the long teeth rabbit’s growth are
more slower. In the first experiment, indeed there are more long teeth rabbit. However in
the second experiment, suppose there were more short teeth rabbit, but this short teeth
rabbit have less survival ability and therefore their population decrease, making the long
teeth rabbit population become larger than theirs.

3. If this new experiment were to run longer would the end result be the same or
different from the original experiment?

The result of the experiment will still be the same, because as time goes, natural
selection happens and long teeth rabbit have higher chance of survival so their
population will increase and their competitor, the short teeth rabbit, will be lose to the
competition, resulting in the decrease of it’s population.
Extension- Working with
Pedigrees- Switch 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?
Using a pedigree is helpful to predict and trace down trait inheritance over generations,
and help to predict the gene of a specific individual.

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

It means that the rabbit come from the first generation of the mutation

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

It means that the rabbit is dead

4. How accurate are the pedigrees used in this lab? Did each couple only have one
baby?
Its not really that accurate because we cant tell for sure some of the brown rabbit’s gene
is homozygous dominant or heterozygous dominant. Also, there is a chance that the
rabbit could have more than one baby, but in the pedigree, they only have one baby that
shows the highest probability of what their offspring would look like.