RABBIT NATURAL SELECTION SIMULATION
1. Start with 100 alleles.
2. Mix and pair them up.
YOU WILL HAVE 50 PAIRS = 50 RABBITS.
3. Count and remove the gg pairs.
4. Determine how many pairs you have left
(50 pairs – the # of gg pairs).
5. Remove ¼ or 25% of the remaining gray pairs.
6. For remaining pairs, count all G alleles and all g alleles and record on data
sheet.
7. Calculate:
% G allele =
#G alleles_____
#G alleles + #g alleles
x 100
%g allele = ___ #g alleles_____
#G alleles + #g alleles
x 100
Frequency is same as the percent written as a decimal
(same equation as above, but do not multiply by 100).
NOTE: PERCENTS SHOULD = 100%
FREQUENCIES SHOULD = 1.
8. NEXT ROUND Start with 100 alleles
BUT USE THE NUMBERS CALCULATED IN #7 ABOVE
Repeat #2-#8.
RABBIT NATURAL SELECTION SIMULATION DATA
Name:
Allele Frequencies
Allele G
Generation
Start
Allele g
Number
Percentage
Frequency
Number
Percentage
Frequency
50
50
0.50
50
50
0.50
1
2
3
4
5
ANALYSIS
1. How did allele frequencies change over time?
2. Did either of the alleles totally disappear? Why or why not?
3. Why did allele frequency change?
4. How does natural selection affect allele frequency?
5. Look at your graph, what is the relationship between the dominant allele frequency and the recessive
allele frequency? What pattern is evident?
6. What would happen to the allele frequencies in our population of rabbits if the number of predators
declined?
GRAPH – Using your data table graph Allele G Frequency (column 4) on the vertical axis against
generation (column 1) on the horizontal axis. Then graph Allele g Frequency (column 7) on the vertical axis
against generation (column 1) on the horizontal axis. You should have TWO lines. Using different colors or
line styles for each allele. Make a legend at the bottom which indicates which line denotes the G allele and
which line denotes the g allele.
ALLELE FREQUENCIES FOR RABBIT COAT COLOR
DURING FIVE GENERATIONS OF A NATURAL SELECTION
PREDATION SIMULATION
1
0.9
0.8
ALLELE FREQUENCY
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0
1
2
3
GENERATION
4
5