a farmer sprays insecticide on his crops and notices that the insect pest problems disappear. a year later he tries the same insecticide only to find that he did not achieve the same result. the insect population shows resistance to the insecticide. This is an example of acting on a population to change its characteristics
This is an example of natural selection. Natural selection is the process by which organisms that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. In this case, the insect population has developed a resistance to the insecticide, allowing them to survive and reproduce despite the farmer's efforts to control them.
Yes, the example you provided is an instance of acting on a population to change its characteristics. In this case, the farmer used insecticide to control the insect pest population on his crops. Initially, the insecticide was effective in eliminating the insect problems, but after a year, the same insecticide did not have the same result. This suggests that the insect population developed resistance to the insecticide over time.
This scenario demonstrates the concept of natural selection and the development of insecticide resistance in a population of insects. Let me explain how this process works.
1. The farmer observes insect pests damaging his crops and decides to use an insecticide to eliminate them. This is an example of acting on a population to change its characteristics.
2. Initially, when the insecticide is applied, it effectively kills a large portion of the insect population and significantly reduces the insect pest problems. This is because the majority of the insects are vulnerable to the insecticide.
3. However, some individual insects in the population may have genetic variations that make them resistant to the insecticide. These resistant insects survive the application of the insecticide while others die.
4. As the surviving resistant insects reproduce, they pass on their resistance traits to their offspring, leading to a gradual increase in the percentage of resistant insects within the following generations.
5. In the subsequent year, when the farmer uses the same insecticide, the population of insects shows resistance to the chemical. As a result, the insecticide is no longer as effective in controlling the pest problems.
6. This insecticide resistance is an example of evolution in action. Through natural selection, the population of insects underwent a change in its characteristics, specifically the development of resistance to the insecticide.
7. To address this issue, the farmer may need to find alternative insecticides or implement different pest control strategies to combat the evolving resistance in the insect population.
In summary, the example you provided highlights how acting on a population to change its characteristics, in this case, using an insecticide, can lead to the development of resistance in the targeted organisms over time.