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VIRTUAL LAB: NATURAL SELECTION:

Go to the website: http://tinyurl.com/n43wvwh

Read through the text on the left under “Question: How does natural selection affect
allelic frequencies?”

Follow the instructions that are provided.

Choose ONE Environment (Rocky, Desert, Grasslands & Urban) and be sure to start with
each possible allelic frequency provided (A=0.2 and a=0.8, A=0.4 and a=0.6, A=0.5 and
a=0.5, A=0.6 and a=0.4). These allelic frequencies tell you the percent of the population
that has those particular alleles. For example, “A = 0.2” means that 20% of the
population has the “A” allele in their genetic make-up.

Keep track of the environment that you are in, the color of the environment, the
starting allelic frequency and how it changes from generation to generation, as well as
the number of individuals with the different genotypes.

For example, a table you may use might look like the following:

ROCKY ENVIRONMENT: color of the environment: _grey_________________________


Before Natural Selection After Natural Selection
Generation A a AA Aa aa AA Aa aa
1 0.20 0.80 4 32 64 1 19 64
2 0.12 0.88 2 21 77 0 13 77
3 0.08 0.92 1 14 85 0 8 85
4 0.05 0.95 0 9 91 0 5 91
5 0.03 0.97 0 5 95 0 3 95
Color of ant selected for: grey
Genotype selected for: aa Genotype selected against: AA
Allele selected for: a Allele selected against: A

Next, using excel, devise a way to graph allelic frequency trends, starting with the four
different allelic frequency scenarios.

Finally, answer the lab questions below.


NATURAL SELECTION LAB QUESTIONS:

1) Did either allele A or a disappear from the populations you studied? Why or why not?
The allele that disappeared from the population was allele a because allele a had 0.03 while A had
0.97

2) Did the effect of natural selection vary with different starting allele frequencies in identical
environments? Why or why not?
Yes because all the environment is different depending on what color of ants._

__
3) A population in which the frequency of alleles remains the same over generations is said to be in
genetic equilibrium. Describe one mechanism by which a populations’ genetic equilibrium can be
disrupted and result in the process of evolution. _
a different animal comes into the environment thus casing the populations to change .
_____________________________________________________________________________

4) In which of the simulated environments do individuals of the genotype Aa survive best?


It can best survive in grasslands because it’s a green ant.

5) In which of the simulated environments do individuals of the genotype aa survive best?


It best survives in the desert because it can blend in better

6) Which set of data represents a type of natural selection that stabilizes the allele frequencies of the
population? The AA stayed the same throughout the whole time after natural selection.
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7) There is a theory that humans are creating antibiotic-resistant “superbacteria”. Scientists warn that
overuse of antibiotics could result in a strain of bacteria that is resistant to these antibacterial
treatments. Explain how this could happen.

Well using the antibiotics the bacteria could come use to it and we would have nothing to fight off
these bacteria. Also the person could be immune by the antibiotics which leads to that person
having the bacteria a lot more.

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