Littorina Obtusata Experiment Essay
The study is focused on the evolution of the Littorina obtusata, also commonly known as the Flat Periwinkle Snail. This experiment focuses on Littorina Obtusata snails due to their evolution in shell thickness and shell shape. The purpose of the experiment is to understand the process of evolution and natural selection on organisms and why they occur; understanding the importance. By doing the experiment I hope to explore the effects of predation on a population, how predation influences evolution / interferes with natural selection, the effects of the introduction of a non-native species on populations, and how evolution and natural selection is affected by non-native species. I expect to find that the snails’ shell thickness and shell shape
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Without the requirements for evolution by natural selection, the snail population would not have led to the results of them having the change in their snail thickness off time; thicker (best fit) shell thickness. If there is no variation present within the snail population, no shell thickness will be favored or will show a change over time. This is seen in Exercise 2. Exercise 2: No Variation, Starting population shows the beginning population of there only being snails with a shell thickness of 5. No variation reveals to have no change in the population. In Exercise 2: No Variation, Generation 2, there continues to only be snails with a shell thickness of 5. Variation increases survival. This is because, if there is only one type of gene in the population and a predator or other environmental factor tends to take out that gene, the population would be in great danger as to being wiped out due to the lack of diversity and variability. As for if there were variability, the fittest snails with the most favored (resistant to environmental factors) shell thickness would be able to live on and pass down the favored genes to their offspring. As for inheritability, if shell thickness is not inheritable, there is no true predictable outcome. Exercise 2: No Inheritance, Starting Population, reveals to start with snails favoring the shell thickness of 4 and mainly 5, and least favoring 1 and 7.
Without the requirements for evolution by natural selection, the snail population would not have led to the results of them having the change in their snail thickness off time; thicker (best fit) shell thickness. If there is no variation present within the snail population, no shell thickness will be favored or will show a change over time. This is seen in Exercise 2. Exercise 2: No Variation, Starting population shows the beginning population of there only being snails with a shell thickness of 5. No variation reveals to have no change in the population. In Exercise 2: No Variation, Generation 2, there continues to only be snails with a shell thickness of 5. Variation increases survival. This is because, if there is only one type of gene in the population and a predator or other environmental factor tends to take out that gene, the population would be in great danger as to being wiped out due to the lack of diversity and variability. As for if there were variability, the fittest snails with the most favored (resistant to environmental factors) shell thickness would be able to live on and pass down the favored genes to their offspring. As for inheritability, if shell thickness is not inheritable, there is no true predictable outcome. Exercise 2: No Inheritance, Starting Population, reveals to start with snails favoring the shell thickness of 4 and mainly 5, and least favoring 1 and 7.