Choose ONE animal species. Your goal is to describe the way in which an evolutionary change might occur for a particular characteristic (trait) of a population of that species as a result of natural selection.

The characteristic (trait) could be something like coloration pattern, length of the limbs, size of the teeth or beak, or any measurable trait that is inherited.

The organism you choose should be a real one but the evolutionary change in a trait that you describe can be real or fiction.

In your own words,

Explain how the change in this trait occurs. You will describe the trait in the population at the starting point and then what the trait will look like at a later time, as a result of natural selection.
Make sure to explain the process by which the changes occurred. What is the selective pressure? Explain why the change might confer more fitness to a particular environment?
Tips: Make sure to include the following in your answers to a and b above:

Clearly state the name of the SPECIES you are going to be talking about for this assignment. (Make sure you know what is meant by a species.)

Also, clearly state what population of the species you are going to talk about by specifying its geographic location. (Make sure you understand what a "population" is.)

Clearly state the characteristic (trait) of the population that you are going to be talking about and explain how this trait varies among individuals.

Explain what change occurs in the environment that causes a change in the above characteristic (trait)?

Just how would you like us to help you? Remember that you must DO the work and then we HELP.

Sra

For this assignment, let's talk about the species Canis lupus, commonly known as the gray wolf. We will focus on a population of gray wolves in the Rocky Mountains in North America.

The characteristic (trait) we will be discussing is the size of the teeth in this population. Among the wolves in this population, there is natural variation in the size of their teeth, with some individuals having larger teeth and others having smaller teeth.

Now, let's consider the change in the environment that might cause a change in the size of the teeth in this population. Suppose there is a decline in the population of their primary prey, such as elk or deer, in the Rocky Mountains. This decline in prey availability puts selective pressure on the wolves to adapt and find alternative food sources.

In this scenario, it is beneficial for the wolves to have larger teeth to help them tackle and consume smaller prey that are more abundant, such as rabbits or rodents. Wolves with larger teeth will have a better ability to capture and tear apart smaller prey, allowing them to obtain sufficient nutrition even with the decline in their primary prey population. Thus, larger teeth would confer more fitness in this particular environment.

Over time, this selective pressure favors wolves with larger teeth, as they have a greater advantage in obtaining food and surviving in the changed environment. As a result, wolves with smaller teeth may be less successful in hunting and procreating, leading to a decrease in the frequency of the genes that determine smaller teeth.

Through successive generations, the average size of teeth in the population will gradually increase, driven by natural selection. This change in the trait of tooth size, from a range of variation to a larger average size, is a result of adaptive evolution in response to environmental changes.

It is important to note that this specific scenario is fictional, but it demonstrates how a change in a characteristic (trait) can occur in a population of a species, such as the gray wolf, as a result of natural selection. The specific changes in the environment and traits may vary in real-life situations, but the underlying process of natural selection remains the same.