Tishonna Forrester, Trenyce Coutain and Soraya Christoper

BIO 142
Variations and natural selection assignment

1. (a) What is a possible hypothesis that could be tested, based on the above observations?
- Guppy populations are evolving to more closely match or stand out from their
environment

(b) I. Explain why the guppy population increased after five generations.
- The population of guppy increased after five generations due to them successfully
reproducing and surviving. There was only one predator present, which was not very
voracious, the guppies had a higher chance of reaching reproductive age and producing
offspring which lead to an overall growth in the population.

II. Describe the composition of the guppy population after 5 and 12 generations.
- The composition of the guppy population changed considerably; the guppy numbers
doubled under the relatively low level of predation and after 5 guppy generation the
drab males to bright males’ percentages evened out greatly. After 12 guppy
generations the situation has changed a lot, and now there are many more male
guppies with the brightest colors. They now make up more than 70% of the
population of guppies.

III. Suggest a reason for the change in composition of the guppy population.
- The composition change in the population of guppies, specifically the increasing
dominance of the brightest colored males can be connected to sexual selection. The
female guppies often prefer to mate with brighter or vibrant colored males, they see them
as more attractive and genetically fit.

(c) I. What do you expect to happen to the numbers of guppies after 5 generations?
- After five generations, it is expected there would be a decrease in the number of
guppies, specifically in the moderately colored guppies. This occurs in the simulation
because of the extreme predation pressure, which would most likely weed out guppies
that are not the drabbest or the brightest, causing a decline in their population.

II. Which type of guppy was most prevalent in the pool after 12 generations? Give a
reason for your answer.
- After 12 generations, the most prevalent type of guppy found in the pool is likely to be
the drabbest guppies. This is because, the extreme predation pressure favors the survival
and reproduction of the drabbest individuals, as their less conspicuous coloration helps
them avoid being targeted by predators. This results in an increase in their population
size, and they become the most prevalent type of guppy in the pool.

(d) What type of natural selection was operating in both simulations?

- Directional natural selection or sexual natural selection

14&16

Natural selection is the mechanism by which biological evolution occurs. It acts on the
genetic variation that arises among individuals within a population. Variations arise and
some of those individuals adapt much better to their environment, which will lead to
them having a better chance of survival. All the factors; biotic or abiotic, would exert a
selection pressure within each population, this would then cause a struggle for existence.
Those with alleles best suited to the prevailing conditions are the fitter organisms and
would have an advantage over other organisms. They are likely to have a longer life span
to reproduce and pass on their favorable genes to the following generation, while those
that are less suited would have a shorter life span which would then lead to a decrease in
their alleles. Natural selection or survival of the fittest is a process which results in a
change in the frequency of specific alleles and genotypes in a population. These
evolutionary changes accumulate over time and eventually lead to the development of
new varieties and even the emergence of new species.
Population contain variation, with organisms within a species differentiated by things
like size, such as small, medium, and large rodents. In the given situation, more offspring
are produced than can survive, as evidenced by the production of 400 offspring of each
type, out of that only around 1/3 of them get to a reproductive age. Among these
variations, some are favorable, for example, small rodents struggle with jumping, while
large rodents tend to fall through the trees. However, medium sized rodents can
successfully make the jump and obtain food. This would create a competition for survival
as they would then compete for limited food resources on the pine trees. The population
would shift over time with the favorable characteristics of the medium sized rodents
being passed down to the next generation. These rodents are likely to survive and
reproduce and ensure the transmission of their advantageous traits to subsequent
generations.
Organisms that are better suited to their environment are selected for and also have a
greater chance of surviving to reproductive age. This means that more of the well adapted
organisms will pass on their alleles down to the next generation compared to those that
are poorly suited. It is very important to know that for beneficial characteristics to be
passed down, they must be heritable which means that they can be transmitted from the
parents to their offspring. This would ensure that the offspring would be able to inherit
the advantageous traits that helped their parents survive and reproduce.
 According to biological species concept, the term ‘species’ is a group of organisms,
with similar morphology and physiology, which can interbreed with one another to
produce fertile offspring. Genetic sequencing has it limitations in scientific classification.
Firstly, it can only be applied to organisms that reproduce through sexual reproduction as
it relies on the analysis of DNA from different individuals. Secondly insights into the
classification of asexually reproducing organisms cannot be provided making it a
challenge to determine if they belong to the same or different species. Additionally,
genetic sequencing is not applicable to extinct organisms. As their DNA cannot be
retrieved. Furthermore, it is mandatory to consider that within a group there may be
variations in appearance which is known as polymorphism, where members may not look
alike. These limitations underscore the need for complementary methods and
considerations when classifying organisms, taking both genetic and other observable into
account.
Speciation is defined as the process of forming new species where individuals can no
longer interbreed to produce a fertile offspring. This divergence is characterized by
differences in morphology and physiology. One mechanism of speciation is geographic
isolation, where there are physical barriers that separate populations leading to allopatric
speciation. This isolation results in different selection pressures leading to changes in
morphology and physiology. Another form of speciation is sympatric speciation which
occurs without geographic isolation, this involves ecological, temporal, and reproductive
barriers that prevent interbreeding. Polyploidy, which is the presence of multiple sets of
chromosomes, can also lead to reproductive isolation. These mechanisms effectively
prevent the gene flow between different species which would genetically isolate them
from each other. In the case of the two types of wrens, they no longer belong to the same
species due to the presence of a reproductive barrier. This barrier could be in the form of
hybrid sterility, where the offspring produced from interbreeding between the two types
of wrens are infertile. The inability to produce fertile offspring acts as a reproductive
isolation mechanism, indicating that the two types of wrens have diverged into separate
species.