Mcgraw Hill Higher Education: Natural Selection-Virtual Lab

Paragraph 1: Introduction - explain your lab.

The lab that I chose to do was the “McGraw Hill Higher Education: Natural Selection - Virtual Lab.” I chose this lab because it was the one that most interested me, as I liked the format of the virtual lab. In this lab, I was able to manipulate both the environment and the allele frequency in order to record and investigate the generational breeding patterns of a group of organisms. The lab starts with me being able to choose from four different environments that I want to put my organisms in. I also get to choose one of the four different allele frequencies that are allowed. I can mix and match the environment and frequencies however I want to. After picking an environment and a frequency, I then am able to move one generation forward. When I move a generation forward, the allele frequency will change. The reason for this is because the organisms with the least helpful phenotypes will be eaten by predators while the organisms with the better phenotypes will live on to breed, thus shifting the gene pool to go in a certain direction. I am able to move a total of 5 generations forward and each and every time I move the allele frequency will change to favor the superior phenotype, thus representing the

After putting my organisms in an environment, the organisms with the color that best blended with the environment’s color would increase in numbers. Whereas, organisms with a dissimilar or opposite color to the environment would die-off over time. The reason why organisms that could better blend in with the environment flourished, while the organisms who stood out in the environment died is because of natural selection. The organism that could better blend in would be harder for predators to find, thus increasing its chances of living and reproducing. While the organisms that stood out would have a higher chance of being eaten or