Natural Selection Lab- PhET

Simulation
Pre-Lab Questions
1. What variables can you influence in this lab?
Selection factor, environment area, and mutations that happen to the animals (fur color, tail
length, and teeth size)
2. Define what a genetic mutation is. How do genetic mutations happen? How often?
A genetic mutation means that an unusual gene is resulted after a mistake in copying the
DNA, giving a different aspect to an offspring. This happens when the copying of gene makes a
mistake. It happens often, but those usually self destruct when detected. When it does reach the
offspring, it is rare.
3.

What do the terms fitness and adaptation mean? What is the difference between the
two?
Fitness is the overall healthiness of the animal. Adaptation is the animal getting used to and
adjust to their environments respectively.
4.

What selection factors might effect an animal population besides the ones used in this
lab?
Type of predators, landscape (rough/smooth/etc.), food availability/variety, competition, climate
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 long tailed rabbits will be more likely to survive under the wolves factor within
the equator environment, because they can distract them

***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
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
Dominant Wolves,
brown rabbits will be
more likely to survive Brown
equator
under the predator
factor (wolves) within
the equator
environment, because
They camouflage with
the surroundings
more and are less
likely to be spotted by
their predators.

18

18

43

Brown rabbits will

survive more in the
equator than white
rabbits because wolves
can spot the white
bunnies easier

I hypothesize that
long teethed rabbits
will be more likely to
survive under the
food factor within the
equator
environment,
because they easily
chew food

12

12

118

The rabbits with

long teeth are ore
quantitive than the
ones with short
teeth, since having
long teeth makes it
easier to eat.

Experiment
and
Hypothesis

Pheno
type

Selective
Factor

Dominant Food,
long teeth Arctic

I hypothesize that
Dominant
brown rabbits will be Brown
less likely to survive
under the wolves
factor within the
Arctic environment,
because they stand
out against the
background.

Wolves,
Arctic

18

~180

18

~170 (11
brown
rabbits)

Although the brown gene

is dominant and the total
population is a lot, The
brown rabbits eventually
get picked off by wolves
and cease.

I hypothesize that
Dominant
long tailed rabbits
long tail
will be more likely to
survive under the
wolves factor within
the equator
environment,
because they can
distract them

Wolves,
equator

18

18

It doesnt seem that

changing their tail
lengths change much,
but the long tailed rabbits
survived slightly longer.

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 ones effecting fur color allows them to camouflage in certain environments that
allows them to hide from predators better, while long teethed rabbits have more advantages in
eating food as their long teeth eases the eating process. The final phenotype is long or short
tail, I dont have much ideas of how it helps them, but the guess is that they would distract
predators more, and its a bit true, as they lived a bit longer than those with shorter tail, but they
eventually depleted as well.

2.

What happens to animals that cannot compete as well with other animals in the wild?

They deplete as their other competitors get their resources, while they are more picked by
predators, so they eventually reduce and either go extinct or move to a different place. Unless
they get a different advantage, they would have to go one way or another.

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?

This is because they become an invasive species, where the organisms around them are not
adapted to that species, where they dont have specific defense against it, while the invasive
species are also not used, but they are just different enough that it catches what they consume
surprised. This makes them compete better than the rest and endanger them.

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 they specialize in different things, and one species can only get a few aspects from an
area. Other species, while may not be the fittest but they can get other things that the fittest
cannot take advantage on, and therefore live too. Plus if only one species existed, they would
compete against themselves and also deplete as the resources depletes. The ones with long
pointy beaks are usually used to take things from tighter and deeper spaces that only they can
reach, while the flat beaks cant do that, but they can eat easier to reach food and they can take
them with ease and with quantity, while the ones with long pointy beaks may only take a few at
a time.
5.

How do you think diseases can affect natural selection?

Disease can affect by harming those that dont have immunity, while the ones with immunity
against it, they cannot fight, which causes those immune ones to survive and pass this immunity
to their offspring where theyll continue to survive and combat this disease.

6.

How does this simulation mimic natural selection? In what ways does this simulation fail
to represent the process of natural selection?

It shows the part of how it would mostly play out to expectation. What it doesnt
simulate exactly is how tails effect their lives, and showing the environments with
much more variety, like there arent only one kind of plant, and there are competitors
in environments, and there are also different types of predators.

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
and
Hypothesis

Pheno
type

Selective
Factor

Even when
recessiv
the brown fur e brown
genes are
recessive,
they will still
be more
quantitive
compared to
the white furs

1.

CONTROL
Group
Initial
Population at
F3

wolves, 18
equator

CONTROL
Group
Final
Population

Experment
Group
Initial
Population at
F3

Experiment
Group
Final
Population

Conclusion/
Observation

18

It doesnt make much

difference because
their population is very
low, but the brown
rabbits do eventually
become the only
rabbits around when
they are numerous
enough in the
beginning.

Did switching the alleles for dominant and recessive have any impact on the population
of rabbits? If so Why? In nothing changed Why not?

It has a great impact on the population with this gene, as when there arent much rabbits the
wolves become a great danger to the rabbits, even if they are camouflaged. So their populations
become low.

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?

If the brown is dominant, then 75% of them will become brown. If they are not, 75% of them
would end up with white fur.

BB

Bb

Bb

bb

3.

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

Yes, as there would be more chance in mixing and changing genes, and population growth. So there
would be more similar results.

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?
It can tell us its history and possible genotype to how they came to be with these phenotype
and estimate their genotype.

2.

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

It means that a mutation happened that resulted with a different offspring.

3.

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

It means it is deceased.

4. How accurate are the pedigrees used in this lab? Did each couple only have one baby?
It only takes a few mutations and it will automatically make a mother have that mutation in one
of her offsprings. It also used genotypes as expected, with almost no mutations on a phenotype
after that, so it is very strict. And yes, only one offspring per couple in the simulation.