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Population genetics card game simulator5/10/2023 ![]() ![]() Assignment 1: Getting to Know PopGenLab: Testing the Hardy-Weinberg Theorem (5 pts.) Thus AA moths are black, Aa moths are brown and aa moths are white. In the simulation moth color is determined by incomplete dominance between the allele for black, A, and the allele for white, a. There are alternative explanations for melanism in moths, however.The PopGenLab simulates this by having white, brown and black moths and the color of the moths is determined by one gene with two alleles. White moths sitting on dark trees were an easy target for hungry birds so there was strong selection for black variants. ![]() The cause of this dramatic change is believed to be the industrialization of England in the 19th century, which led to lots of pollution and so much soot that the bark of the trees all turned black. Historically the moths were primarily white but over a period of less than a hundred years they became almost completely black. In England it was noticed that there had been a dramatic change in the phenotype of a species of moth. This virtual lab is a simulation of a classical observation of evolution. The simulation is the PopGenLab at the Biolab site ( ). The trait being examined is a classical mendelian trait and the simulator will randomly mate individuals and produce progeny using the rules for mendelian inheritance. In the following assignments you will investigate the effects of different evolutionary forces on the evolution of a virtual population. This assignment is due Friday, March 10 th (paste your report into the 3/10 PopGen1 assignment). This subject is covered in Chapter 25 of your textbook and at the class web site, and there is a much briefer background section on the PopGenLab site (where you will do your experiments). This assignment examines fundamental concepts using a simulation of a population of moths. This works differently than with quantitative traits (such as the bird beaks in EvolutionLab) because there are many fewer genes involved and because the difference between dominant and recessive alleles becomes important. The following exercises and experiments in population genetics are designed to help you to gain a better understanding of how evolution works with a Mendelian trait.
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