MadSci Network: Evolution
Query:

Re: Do you know any experement in evolution to do at home.

Date: Mon Dec 16 12:27:03 2002
Posted By: Yvonne Buckley, Post-doctoral researcher
Area of science: Evolution
ID: 1039817221.Ev
Message:

Dear Charlie, 
that's a tricky question, in order to study evolution in action you need to 
use real organisms and follow them over many generations. Scientists spend 
months or years studying evolution of very simple traits in bacteria and 
insects (because they have such a short generation time).  They do this by 
collecting a sample of organisms from a population, imposing a selection 
pressure, and measuring the response of the population over a large number 
of generations.  An example would be keeping a population of mites in an 
open top jar which is placed in a water bath, so that those mites which 
disperse (leave the jar) drown.  In a number of generations when you 
compare the behaviour of the mites which have been housed in the jar with 
those from the wild you may see a difference in their dispersal behaviour.  

Another approach would be to study a particular inherited trait in a plant 
or animal and see if you can figure out why it might have evolved.  Shell, 
skin or coat colour is an easy to see, non-destructive character that's 
often inherited, why don't you try looking for snails in different areas of 
the garden (under leaf litter, in grass, on branches of trees) and seeing 
what colours and patterns their shells are.  Evolution predicts that you 
may get well camouflaged snails to protect them from predators like 
hedgehogs, badgers and birds.  Are snails coloured or patterned to fit into 
the backgrounds you find them in?  Of course you need to remember that a 
hedgehog or bird might see the world differently to you and you might want 
to go out at night as well as in the day to see if that makes a difference.

I hope this gives you some ideas for what might be possible.
Yvonne


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