A) Running the Simulation
Open a web browser and open the
following link:
http://www2.cs.uidaho.edu/~rubi4714/LBapp/index.html
The simulation should open
automatically on the laboratory computers. On your home
computer you may need to download a Java upgrade, add the link
above to your Java Security Exception List, and/or activate
a Java applet as directed in order to enable the simulation.
The simulation should initially
show a green habitat field, circling aphids of a variety of
colors, and an erratically moving ladybug. Watch the
ladybug for a while. A light ring will surround each
targeted aphid, usually right before the ladybug tracks it down
and eats it. Watch some aphids well away from the ladybug.
Can you see a reproductive event? Finally, if you watch
for long enough, you should notice the aphid population
progressively resembling the background in color and darkness.
This is phyletic evolution - microevolution of a phenotypic
character.
You will conduct five "lessons",
each illustrating a different aspect of the model of the
requirements for natural selection to produce phyletic
evolution. At any time you can scroll the page down to see
the author's description of what is happening under each
condition. You can use the PAUSE button to halt the
simulation while you seek inspiration or guidance and PAUSE
again to resume the action when you have found it. The
BACK button ends the simulation run and takes you back to the
lesson menu.
B) Lesson 1 - Introduction
Select LESSON 1
and hit START. In this lesson you can use the
computer mouse or trackpad to drive the ladybug around and
capture aphids. Notice that the aphids all follow
relatively simple paths, generally either circling or wandering
in a meandering line. Notice also that when an aphid
cross the edge of the field it immediately emerges at the
opposite edge. The ladybug does not do this. This
would seem to make the edges of the field relatively safer zones
for the aphid and tightly circling in a corner a good
aphid survival strategy.
1) Chase
down some aphids to become familiar with how the ladybug and
aphids move.
2) Notice
that the aphids all follow relatively simple paths, generally
either circling or wandering in a slowly curving line.
Notice also that when an aphid crosses the edge of the field it
immediately "wraps around" and emerges at the opposite edge. The ladybug
is blocked by edges. This would seem to make the edges of the
field relatively safer zones for the aphid and tightly circling
in a corner a good aphid survival strategy.
3) Notice
that as you prey on aphids, the Aphid color bars at the right of
the control strip will slowly change, reflecting the changing
color makeup of the survivors and their descendants.
4)
Experiment with changing the background habitat via the
color wheel control to
see which colors stand out and which blend in on various
backgrounds.
B) Lesson 2 - Evolution in Action
Click on the BACK
button, select LESSON 2, and hit START. In
this lesson and all subsequent lessons, the ladybug follows its
own autonomous rules for locating, tracking, and capturing
aphids.
There are now two habitats, one red
and one green, each with its own background color, population of
aphids, and voracious ladybug. In both habitats the aphids
pass their traits to their offspring (Inheritance:ON), with some
slight variations in color and behavior (Variation:ON), while
the ladybug can discriminate aphid color (Color Selection:ON).
1) Watch
the simulation for a while. Notice that on each side the
aphid colors come to match their background and, as a
consequence, the visibility ("Average chance to see and aphid")
slowly drops toward a low steady value of around 10%.
Q1: In your own words, why is this
happening? This is the central argument that both Darwin
and Wallace made for adaptive action of natural selection
resulting in evolutionary change.
2) Change
the color on one side. Notice what immediately happens to
the color match and aphid visibility, then how these slowly
change as the aphids adapt to the new conditions.
3) If the aphids were well adapted and the
background color change is dramatic enough, the aphid population
can take quite a while to adapt to the new background. See
if you can speed the process by changing the background slowly
through a series of small steps.
Q2: In this simulation the single
ladybug can't consume all of the aphids faster than they can
replace themselves by reproduction. If the ladybugs were
also rapidly reproducing and dying off based on their hunting
success, what do you think would happen to the aphid population
if the background color abruptly and significantly changed?
C) Lesson 3 - No Variation
Click on the BACK
button, select LESSON 3, and hit START.
There are now two identical green
habitats, each with its own background color, population of
aphids, and (still) voracious ladybug. In the right
(Control) habitat the conditions are the same as in the previous
simulation - the aphids pass their traits to their offspring (Inheritance:ON),
with some slight variations in color and behavior (Variation:ON),
while the ladybug can discriminate aphid color (Color
Selection:ON). In the left (Experimental) habitat each
aphid passes its exact color to its offspring, with no
variation (Variation:OFF).
1) Watch
the simulation for a while. In both habitats the aphid
population adapts to its habitat color over time. Notice
that the aphids in the experimental habitat eventually end up all the same
color.
Q3: Why this did this happen?
2) In
which habitat do the aphids become better adapted? Look at
the "Average chance to see and aphid" value. Reset and
rerun several times to see if you always get the same result.
Q4: Can you explain your results?
3) Change to the same new background color for both
habitats. Which population is capable of readapting?
Can the color of the aphid population adapt in the absence of
new phenotypic variation? How about the behavior?
D) Lesson 4 - No Inheritance
Click on the BACK
button, select LESSON 4, and hit START.
There are now two identical red
habitats, each with its own background color, population of
aphids, and ladybug. In the right (Control) habitat the
conditions are the same as in Lesson 2 - the aphids pass
their traits to their offspring (Inheritance:ON), with some
slight variations in color and behavior (Variation:ON), while
the ladybug can discriminate aphid color (Color Selection:ON).
In the left (Experimental) habitat there is no inheritance (Inheritance:OFF);
the color and behavior of each new offspring are chosen at
random and are unrelated to those of its parent.
Watch
the simulation for a while. Do the aphids in both habitats
evolve and adapt?
Q5: In your own words, why is
heritability essential for natural selection to produce adaptive
phyletic evolution?
E) Lesson 5 - No Selection
Click on the BACK
button, select LESSON 5, and hit START.
There are now two identical blue
habitats, each with its own background color, population of
aphids, and apparently ageless ladybug. In the right
(Control) habitat the conditions are the same as in Lesson 2
- the aphids pass their traits to their offspring (Inheritance:ON),
with some slight variations in color and behavior (Variation:ON),
while the ladybug can discriminate aphid color (Color
Selection:ON). In the left (Experimental) habitat there is
no selection (Color Selection:OFF); the ability of the ladybug to see
and target its prey is set at a constant 40%, regardless of aphid
color.
1) Watch
the simulation for a while. Do the aphids in both habitats
evolve and adapt?
Q6: In your own words, why is
selection essential for adaptive phyletic evolution?
2)
Carefully watch the aphid color bars for the left experimental
population. Are they constant or do they fluctuate back
and forth? Technically, these fluctuations do constitute
phyletic evolution (microevolution); they are just not
adaptive evolution leading to a better color match to the
habitat.
Q7: A final thought. In each
of these last three lessons we demonstrably limited color
adaptation. Was behavioral adaptation similarly limited?
Is this a problem in the concept of adaptation or in the
simulation?
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