Question

3. In today's lab activity, the dots represented and the fabric represented 4. Look at the graphs you made during today's lab. a. What color creature seemed to be best suited to your environment? b. What color creature seemed to be worst suited to your environment? C. Describe the color and pattern of your fabric. d. Why do you think the “best suited” creature in part “a” was able to survive so well on this type of fabric? e. Why do you think the "worst suited” creature in part “b” didn't survive well on this type of fabric? f. List two characteristics (besides camouflage) that could help a real organism (not a paper dot) avoid being eaten by a predator.

Answer 1

3] The coloured dots represented camouflaging against being found by their predators, and the fabric indicates evolution of the protective colouration in the satarting and different rounds of survival.

4] a] 'Red' coloured creature seemed to be the best suited in this environment.

b] 'Black' coloured creature seemed to be the worst suited in this environment. [*considered black in starting population = 0]

c] The colour and pattern of the fabrics are: Red (12 in starting population, 4 in round 1, 2 in round 2, 2 in round 3 -surviving populations); Orange (12 in starting population, 4 in round 1, 2 in round 2, 1 in round 3 -surviving populations); Yellow (12 in starting population, 2 in round 1, 0 in round 2, 0 in round 3 -surviving populations); Green (12 in starting population, 4 in round 1, 1 in round 2, 0 in round 3 -surviving populations); Blue (12 in starting population, 4 in round 1, 2 in round 2, 1 in round 3 -surviving populations); Black (0 in starting population, 4 in round 1, 1 in round 2, 0 in round 3 -surviving populations).

d] The best suited creature in part A (Starting population from Graph A), that is Red, was able to survive so well on this type of fabric because its colour probably have made itself safe (camouflaging) against its predators and befitted in natural selection.

e] The worst suited creature in part B (Round 1 from Graph B), that is Yellow, did not survive well on this type of fabric because its colour could have made it unsuitable (prone to predator, or have not befitted in natural selection) in compared to the others of Round 1.

f] Two characteristics that could help a real organism avoid being eaten by a predator are: playing dead (pretending to be dead on facing a predator), development of physical features acting in defenses (like teeth, horns, spikes, etc).