Prutha Gajakas- Evolution

      A general statement to explain why genetic variation is maintained is because populations are constantly adapting and evolving. Some mechanisms that contribute to that include mutation, migration, and gene flow. Even small differences in the environments of populations cause them to adapt; for example, something small like the variation among the coloring of leaves can cause organisms of the same species to look different in terms of camouflage (being different shades would allow them to be better fit for their respective environments). As we saw in our previous R exercise, the mice varied in the color of their fur depending on if the lived near the coast or more inland. Their coloring and adaptation would vary in their genetic makeup even if it is a slight difference.      With mutations, we know that they produce changes in the DNA. When new alleles are introduced, there is more diversity overall. Since they create new sequences in DNA and mu...

       The one main difference between Kimura’s theory is that it says that changes in evolution are caused by genetic drift rather than natural selection. Kimura found that the protein polymorphisms observed were formed by genetic drift since their function did not change. Another important aspect of this theory is the removal of newly formed deleterious mutations.      The theory of evolution by natural selection is the one that is more commonly heard of. This theory was proposed by Darwin and it states that species change to adapt to their needs by inheriting heritable traits. One main facet of this theory is that it is assumed that more offspring is produced than the amounts that are able to survive.      They are both similar in the sense that they explain how organisms are able to adapt over time. Both theories describe how alleles are integrated. In Darwin’s theory phenotypes are what induce the change; in Kimura’s theory a ch...

       One benefit of inbreeding I can think of is acquiring certain preferred traits. One common example of inbreeding that I can think of is with dogs. When a specific dog breed is wanted or specific traits unique to a particular dog, inbreeding could be used to acquire those. With that, the gene pool would be fairly small and there wouldn’t be many as much genetic diversity. This is when assortative mating would be more common. This is when the preference to choose mates with similar phenotypes increases.      However, inbreeding also comes with many disadvantages. Recessive phenotypes could be more prominent with inbreeding, which could be a negative impact of the recessive trait is damaging. If too many recessive genes are inherited, they will be carriers for varying diseases. With that, there are many underlying health conditions that the animal would be predisposed to.      I guess one factor of inbreeding in terms of evolutio...

       In general, the data lines up with what I would expect in the sense that the mainland populations have the majority of the individuals with phenotype D; the island populations show more variation among the other phenotypes. Migration would explain why the island populations have more diversity among phenotypes. The main reason behind migration is to find better living conditions, whether it be food, environment, resources, space, or other reasons. When the snakes decide to move from the mainland to the islands, they are contributing to the new gene pool. I would say that the reason for the presence of all four phenotypes would be due to travel back to the mainland (in this case the Peninsular mainland).   Even though many snakes are migrating away, some are still returning, which is why the phenotype is still present and not wiped out. In other words, the snakes are not migrating out "fast enough" in comparison to how often other snakes return. ...