Modeling how evolution works

Breeding Bunnies!!!

Catalyst: How does natural selection affect harmful genes in a population over time?

Reflection:

Breeding Bunnies!

Hypothesis:

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Background InformationEvolution on a genetic level: A change in the frequency of alleles in a population

over a period of time.

Breeders of rabbits have long be en familiar with a variety of genetic traits that affect the survivability (fitness) of rabbits in the wild. One important trait is the one for furless rabbits (naked bunnies). The furless rabbit is rarely found in the wild because cold winters select against it.

What are we looking for?

• In this lab:• Normal fur = F• Hairless = f

Take 10 seconds and shake up your bag of 50 red beans and 50 white beans!

While shaking, the rabbits are mating and you are mixing their alleles

Remove 2 beans at a time without looking and record the data in your

chart.

• Put 2 red beans in your FF cup• Put 2 white beans in your ff cup• Put 1 red and 1 white in your Ff cup

Keep going until all of your beans are gone!This is generation 1

Generation 2…

• Put the beans from FF and Ff back into your back and shake it up! These bunnies have lived long enough to mate

• Why do we not return the ff bunnies to the ‘mix’?

Repeat the process for generations 3-5, remember to record gene frequencies in your

chart!

Catalyst: How does natural selection affect harmful genes in a population over time?

Reflection:

Breeding Bunnies!

Hypothesis:

1. How do your results compare with the class data? If different, why are they different?

2. How are the results of this simulation an example of evolution? 36R36L

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