• The article lists some “Main questions of Evolutionary Biology Today” Which does this article attempt to answer?
Although the article lists various questions, the main question discussed would most likely be “Are the same genes and mutations responsible for similar traits in different populations or species?”
• Why is the characteristic of a color a useful one for studying the genetic basis of adaptations?
In Hopi E. Hoestra’s article From Darwin to DNA: The Genetic Basis of Color Adaptations, the author explains the advantages of using color to study genetic basis of adaptations.
First, color is a trait in which an organism is able to interact with their environment through biological processes such as mate choice, warning coloration, mimicry, and camouflage. Secondly, this adaptive trait can be found in the genetic material of most organisms.
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Since my strands of hair are dark brown, I know that I produce eumelanin. If I were to have blonde or red hair, then I would produce pharomelanin.
• How long (maximum) did it take for these Beach (light coat) phenotypes to evolve?
The paper does not state an exact time when beach mice evolved to have light coat colors; however, it does mention information on the barrier islands. The barrier islands formed anywhere from 6,000 to 4,000 years ago. I believe that the beach mice phenotype (for light coat color) evolved around 6,000 to 4,000 years ago, which would mean that the phenotype had a fast evolution.
• Is there convergent evolution in light coat color in the beach mice populations?
Based on the evidence presented in the article, the reader can conclude that convergent evolution occurred in the light coat color in the beach mice population. Even though the Gulf Coast mice and the Atlantic Coast mice developed light coat colors, these species of mice are not sister taxa. Instead, the two mice populations developed different mutations for the same