The Effect of Natural Selection on Dotted Mice. The purpose of this lab is to demonstrate the effect of natural selection on a population. In this lab, the Gooney birds predation of the colorful mice (symbolized by colored dots) was simulated to s

successful adaptations that survived were able to reproduce and create offspring that were able to survive in the environment. The offspring’s adaptation of color to its environment allowed them to blend into their surroundings, reducing their chance of being preyed upon. The initial population of the mice was 60, ten mice per color (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and black). As time progressed, the population of each color increased, decreased, or was completely eradicated due to predation. Predation happened due to the color of the mice. If the mice were more visible in the environment, they would be more likely exposed as prey. As shown in the data, in Trial 1, the populations of the green mice increases, while the populations of the red, yellow, blue and black decrease. The orange mice population stays the same. Also in the first Trial, the population of black mice is completely eliminated. The final product eliminates orange, yellow, and black. The two dominant colors are red and green, with blue coming next. Their advantages in color gave them the best rate of survival in the strawberry environment. In the second trial, there was a habitat change, switching from a strawberry environment to a star environment. As shown in the data, in Trial 1, the populations of green, blue, and red are dominant. The orange, yellow, and black mice populations have been completely eliminated. The final product leaves the green and blue mice with the same population, and the red mice population with three less than the green and blue. This time, the two dominant colors are blue and green, with red coming next. Their advantages in color gave them the best rate of survival in the star environment. The eliminated colors were unable to re-enter the environment after their eradication, this solidifies the theory that with natural selection, all species lacking the necessary traits to survive will not be permitted to reproduce and pass on weak traits. The dominating colors of the simulation in the end of the trials showed that over time and by natural selection, they were the colors that had the best rate of survival for the selected environment.Evaluation:An error that occurred during our lab was that during one of the trials, we ended up with a miscount and instead found that we had an extra mouse after the Gooney birds preyed on them. So instead we took one of the mice with the highest population (red) and just decided to prey upon it instead of redistributing our mice into the environment and redoing that trial. This can cause errors in the final population of the red mice, because the final value might have been more than it actually was supposed to be. That also might cause one other population to go up in value, even though it wouldn’t have if we had redone the trial. In the end the red ended up being the highest number in the strawberry habitat, so it must not have affected the population as much by taking just one mouse out. A weakness found in the data was apparent in the controls. The method of capturing the dots was inconsistent. Instead, it was done at random, a different method each time. Gooney birds could grab dots with a whole hand, pick them up using only fingers, or any other method of choice. By performing random capture methods in each trial, the mice were not captured uniformly. Some colors had a higher chance of surviving than others based on their location and what capture method was utilized, causing an inconsistency in the data. Distribution method also affected the capture method, for it was done at random as well, therefore some areas had a higher concentration of certain colored dots while some areas were sparse in any dots at all. To improve this, the method of capture as well as method of distribution of the dots should be organized so that there is a consistent form of data collection.A limitation of the simulation is the fact that it is only a representation of a realistic living environment and cannot imitate the conditions of one. The simulation was limited in the environment, for it never changed throughout the entire experiment. Instead, an environment would at the least have subtle changes in the time period of five generations. Also, the ratio of Gooney birds to mice would not be consistent for five consecutive generations. The cumulative population of the mice at the end of the trial would always be 60 and there would always be four Gooney birds hunting. Population size would, in reality, vary between generations due to disease, natality rates, mortality rates, shortage or abundance of resources, overpopulation due to immigration, or emigration. The data is inconsistent due to this limitation, for the fact that the simulation does not take into account these factors, natural selection is unable to ensue. To improve this, the Gooney birds could get an allotted time to capture prey instead of having as much time as it would take to capture 10 mice.