RESULTS:
An experiment was conducted to document the patterns of evolution in the fictional species, Cannus stannous. Fitness of the C. stannous population is determined solely by its ability to retain heat. Three genes determined heat retention; can size, skin type, and water level. Each gene had three alleles, producing 27 possible phenotypic combinations (Table 1).
The data recorded pertains to two populations of C. stannous over 9 generations; a small population of 4 cans (Figure 1) and the large population of 24 cans (Figure 2). Within each small population, the two cans with the greatest temperature loss are eliminated and the remaining two cans survive and reproduce, thereby creating the next generation. These small populations together make up the large population. Our focus is on a single small population (Figure 1) and the cohesive large population (Figure 2).
Allele frequency was calculated for each gene within the small population for each of the 9 generations (Figure 1). In regards to the can size gene, in generation 0, each of the 3 alleles; 6oz, 12oz, and 16oz, were present, but after this generation the 16oz allele never appeared again (Figure 1A). The 6oz allele was the most abundant, but in generation 6, once the 12oz allele reappeared, it began to become more common (Figure 1A). For the skin type gene, only the wet cloth and bare metal alleles were present in generation 0, but by generation 5 the insulation allele was the sole allele for skin type in the successive …show more content…
This idea is also supported by the can rankings, where for each generation the average rank consistently improved, implying that each generation of C. stannous was progressively better at retaining heat, due to its ability to adapt to the environment (Figure
An experiment was conducted to document the patterns of evolution in the fictional species, Cannus stannous. Fitness of the C. stannous population is determined solely by its ability to retain heat. Three genes determined heat retention; can size, skin type, and water level. Each gene had three alleles, producing 27 possible phenotypic combinations (Table 1).
The data recorded pertains to two populations of C. stannous over 9 generations; a small population of 4 cans (Figure 1) and the large population of 24 cans (Figure 2). Within each small population, the two cans with the greatest temperature loss are eliminated and the remaining two cans survive and reproduce, thereby creating the next generation. These small populations together make up the large population. Our focus is on a single small population (Figure 1) and the cohesive large population (Figure 2).
Allele frequency was calculated for each gene within the small population for each of the 9 generations (Figure 1). In regards to the can size gene, in generation 0, each of the 3 alleles; 6oz, 12oz, and 16oz, were present, but after this generation the 16oz allele never appeared again (Figure 1A). The 6oz allele was the most abundant, but in generation 6, once the 12oz allele reappeared, it began to become more common (Figure 1A). For the skin type gene, only the wet cloth and bare metal alleles were present in generation 0, but by generation 5 the insulation allele was the sole allele for skin type in the successive …show more content…
This idea is also supported by the can rankings, where for each generation the average rank consistently improved, implying that each generation of C. stannous was progressively better at retaining heat, due to its ability to adapt to the environment (Figure