Introduction
Microevolution is the change in the allele frequency in a population over generations, and there are three mechanisms that can cause the allele frequency to change. One is natural selection, the process in which the individuals with favorable inherited traits in an environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This results in specific alleles being inherited in greater proportions in the next generations. The next mechanism is genetic drift, which describes how allele frequencies vary each generation unpredictably. Genetic drift is significant in small populations and can lead to the loss of genetic variation. The last mechanism is gene flow, which is the movement of alleles between populations. This tends to lead to a …show more content…
The alleles being observed are the wild type (+/+) and ebony type (e/e) which are found at the ebony locus on the third chromosome. The recessive ebony allele is a mutation causing darker pigmentation. The coloration of the specific areas of the body are determined by the enzymatic activity present in the area (Wittkopp et al. 2003). However, there are selective pressures that could cause the change in the frequency of the alleles such as predator selection, thermotolerance, and sexual selection (Nijhout 1991, Wittkopp et al. 2003). Genetic drift can also …show more content…
The fly vial was labeled with the group name, week number, and date. To make the fly food, equal portions of distilled water and fly food were mixed together until a mashed potato-like consistency was formed. Roughly one inch of this mixture was placed in the vial. The inside of the vial was wiped down to remove any food particles to eliminate the risk of the flies getting stuck in the food and dying. Next, fly culture netting was obtained and cut to fit into the tube for the larvae to use when they are ready for metamorphosis. Then ten beads of yeast were sprinkled into the tube and a culture tube plug was used to plug the
Microevolution is the change in the allele frequency in a population over generations, and there are three mechanisms that can cause the allele frequency to change. One is natural selection, the process in which the individuals with favorable inherited traits in an environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This results in specific alleles being inherited in greater proportions in the next generations. The next mechanism is genetic drift, which describes how allele frequencies vary each generation unpredictably. Genetic drift is significant in small populations and can lead to the loss of genetic variation. The last mechanism is gene flow, which is the movement of alleles between populations. This tends to lead to a …show more content…
The alleles being observed are the wild type (+/+) and ebony type (e/e) which are found at the ebony locus on the third chromosome. The recessive ebony allele is a mutation causing darker pigmentation. The coloration of the specific areas of the body are determined by the enzymatic activity present in the area (Wittkopp et al. 2003). However, there are selective pressures that could cause the change in the frequency of the alleles such as predator selection, thermotolerance, and sexual selection (Nijhout 1991, Wittkopp et al. 2003). Genetic drift can also …show more content…
The fly vial was labeled with the group name, week number, and date. To make the fly food, equal portions of distilled water and fly food were mixed together until a mashed potato-like consistency was formed. Roughly one inch of this mixture was placed in the vial. The inside of the vial was wiped down to remove any food particles to eliminate the risk of the flies getting stuck in the food and dying. Next, fly culture netting was obtained and cut to fit into the tube for the larvae to use when they are ready for metamorphosis. Then ten beads of yeast were sprinkled into the tube and a culture tube plug was used to plug the