Natural Selection and Speciation

Introduction: There are two purposes to this activity:

A) simulate the adaptation of a population to a stable environment; and
B) observe directional selection on a population to examine how speciation can begin to occur.
Write your own background information, hypothesis, and include what the independent,
dependent, and controlled variables are.

Background information:
A key process of nature that enables the wide diversity of animal species is natural
selection. Natural selection is a mechanism that selects individuals with advantageous traits.
These traits lead to a higher chance of survival and the individual has greater reproductive
success than others. As a result of natural selection, traits that diminish the chances of survival
become less likely to continue exist in a certain species. These changes can occur over different
periods of time according to the type of species. For example, a single generation takes an hour to
a day for a bacteria and two years for dogs and cat but 22 years for humans.
Since the environment has a certain carrying capacity for the population, not all
individuals are able to survive. So, if having a brown-colored shell are easier to survive the hunt
of predators, more green beetles will get eaten by birds than brown beetles. Then brown-shell will
be a more common trait in the next generation as the brown beetles will have more offspring. If
this overall process continues for generations, then eventually all of the beetle population will
result brown.

Hypothesis:
Part 1: If the environment is pink colored, the pink colored population will survive because they
are more advantageous to the environment.
Part 2: If the environment is blue colored, the blue colored population will survive because they
are more advantageous to the environment.

Variables:
Independent: Number of generation
Dependent: The population of each colored dot
Controlled: The species of population (paper), the environments color (color of sheet)

Materials and Methods:

Materials:
Paper chips: 3 colors
Two fabric patches
beaker

Methods:
These simulations involve a population of individuals of different colors; punched out
paper dots represent the individuals. Two different simulations are considered in the lab (Parts I
and II). In each simulation, individuals are mixed up in a beaker and randomly distributed across
the simulated environment of patterned fabric. Students serve as predators that prey
preferentially on the individuals the 1/2 of the population (30 of the 60 removed each round)
which are least disguised.
The techniques of predation are important. The student designated as a predator must not
participate in or watch the release of the individuals on the habitat. The predator must select each
individual carefully and must attentively place each chip in the beaker after capture. No brushing
or sweeping techniques are allowed.
Following one generation of selective predation, the remaining (favored) individuals are
allowed to reproduce asexually. After reproduction, the population will be back to its original
size.
Students work in groups of 3 for this experiment. During each part, one person has the
role of predator, and the other two are in charge of reproduction. All members should record the
data AT THE END OF EACH ROUND on their own lab report.

Part I:
1. Count out 20 individuals of each color and mix all colors in a beaker. Record the number of
individuals at the beginning of this round on the data sheet.
2. Release the individuals randomly into the environment. (The environment is the piece of
colored fabric.) No pieces should overlap.
3. The predator should select 30 individuals. The predator will select the most obvious prey
items in the environment; that is, those prey items that do not have concealing coloration will
be mismatched to the environment, and will be most vulnerable to predation. Note: It is
important to look away from the fabric between selections.
4. Allow the surviving individuals to reproduce. Each chip will produce 1 other just like it,
bringing the total back to 60. Record the new numbers in the data sheet. Spread the new
generation onto the environment randomly as before.
5. Continue the simulation for 4 generations repeating the above steps 4 and 5.
6. Complete reproduction to bring the population up to 60.

Part II:
1. Obtain a new fabric piece that will represent a changed environment.
2. Take the population from the end of Part I and spread them out as before on the new fabric. If
you only have 1 or 2 colors remaining, remove 2 individuals from your population for each
color you are missing. Add two pieces of each missing color back to the population. This
represents additional phenotypes arising from mutation. The count should still equal 60.
3. Run the simulation for 4 generations after the separation, recording the numbers of
individuals after each round.

Results:
Part I: Number of individuals and proportions (pink)
Number of Individuals
Generation blue pink red
 0 20 20 20
1 14 20 26
2 14 24 22
3 4 32 24
4 2 40 18

Part II: Number of individuals and proportions (blue)

Number of Individuals
Generation blue pink red
5 14 30 16
6 21 24 15
7 33 17 10
8 43 10 7

Data Analysis:
a. Graph the results for the two environments on a line graph, showing the amount
of each color of dots there were at the BEGINNING of each generation. Do this
on graph paper or by using Logger Pro.
Conclusion:
 1. Verbally describe the data. What happened to the frequency of each phenotype (color) in
each generation of part 1, and in part 2? (Give overall trends.) What effect did catching
more of a particular color have on the numbers of that color in the following generations?
2. What might lead to the kinds of changes observed in this experiment in real populations?
3. Predict what the population might look like in 100 years if the environment remains the
same. What might the population look like if the environment changed again?
4. Use the data and what you have learned about evolution to explain how mutation is a
random process but natural selection is not random.
5. Do the results of this experiment give you any thoughts on how species might respond to
rapid global change (as we may be experiencing now or in the near future)?

In part 1, it can be noticed that the pink dots increased in number while blue dots
decreased significantly. The number of red dots stayed constant throughout generations. In part
2, the blue dots increased in number while both the pink and red dots decreased. Catching more
of a particular color led to a decrease in population in the next generation. On the other hand, the
higher the population was in a certain generation, the number increased in the next.
This phenomenon happens in real life as well. Individuals that carry traits that are more
advantageous have higher chances of survival and thus are more successful in reproducing
offspring than others.
Although it depends on how many years a single generation is for each species, if the
environment remains the same for 100 years then the majority of the population will result in
carrying that trait. If the environment underwent change, then the traits that individuals carry will
change as well accordingly.
While mutation is an alteration in the DNA sequence in a gene that occurs randomly,
natural selection is not random. Through mutation, a gene that is passed on to its offspring is
altered and doesnt occur over long periods of time. The chances or likelihood for a gene to
mutate is random. However, natural selection happens because of a reason and the chances are
not random. Individuals chances of survival are influenced by the environment they live in.
Most species need a long period of time for their population to change and adapt to the
environment and happens gradually. Rapid global change will make it hard for these animal
species to change to the government as natural selection doesnt happen in a single generation.
This will make it hard for the animals to survive. Already, we can see this happening - the number
of species that are endangered or going extinct is increasing in a rapid rate.