Question

1. this experiment tested natural selection. identify the mechanism of evolution in each of the following scenarios. then, describe how you think the scenario will affect the population.

a random change is passed on to offspring that leads to a population of rabbits with bigger ears and better hearing.

introducing the invasive species, pythons, to the everglades causes a large number of rabbits to die off suddenly.

a large warehouse of rabbits escapes from a nearby pet store into the wild.

female rabbits in the mountains of the eastern united states will only mate with dark - coated males.

Explanation:

• Scenario 1: A random change passed on to offspring is a mutation. Mutations can introduce new traits. If the trait (bigger ears and better hearing) is beneficial (e.g., helps in detecting predators), over time, more rabbits in the population will have this trait as those with the trait are more likely to survive and reproduce.
• Scenario 2: Introducing an invasive species (pythons) causing a large number of rabbits to die off is a bottleneck effect. The bottleneck effect reduces genetic diversity. The surviving rabbit population will have a limited gene pool, and future generations will be more homogeneous genetically.
• Scenario 3: A large warehouse of rabbits escaping into the wild is gene flow. Gene flow can introduce new alleles into the wild rabbit population. This can change the genetic composition of the wild population, potentially leading to new traits becoming more common if the escaped rabbits' genes are advantageous.
• Scenario 4: Female rabbits only mating with dark - coated males is sexual selection. Sexual selection can lead to an increase in the frequency of the dark - coated trait in the population. Over time, more rabbits will have dark coats as the females' mating preference leads to more offspring from dark - coated males.

Answer:

Scenario	Mechanism of Evolution	Your Prediction
Introducing the invasive species, pythons, to the Everglades causes a large number of rabbits to die off suddenly.	Bottleneck Effect	Reduced genetic diversity in the surviving population.
A large warehouse of rabbits escapes from a nearby pet store into the wild.	Gene Flow	New alleles may be introduced, changing the wild population's genetic composition.
Female rabbits in the mountains of the eastern United States will only mate with dark - coated males.	Sexual Selection	Increase in the frequency of the dark - coated trait in the population.