The Selection Of A Diverse Population Of P. Fluorescens

According to Darwin and his theory on evolution, organisms are presented with nature’s challenge of environmental change. Those that possess the characteristics of adapting to such challenges are successful in leaving their genes behind and ensuring that their lineage will continue. It is natural selection, where nature can perform tiny to mass sporadic experiments on its organisms, and the results can be interesting from extinction to significant changes within a species.

One of the most imperative functions in maintaining the development of evolution is the frequency of genetic transformation: the injection of foreign DNA into another organism’s DNA. This term is defined by the actions of a vector, but more specifically by the actions of plasmids and phages. However, in this experiment we are primarily focused on the effect of the pGLO plasmid transformation of GFP on the E. coli bacteria by introducing a second chromosome or a plethora of cloned plasmids. (Bassiri 2011)

Coli. The first standard E. Coli has no resistance plasmid while the second strain contains a resistance plasmid with genes protecting it from ampicillin. This standard E. Coli and pAMP (plasmid-Ampicillin) E. Coli were each streaked across plates containing the antibiotic and containing growth supportive Lurithea Broth. The purpose of this lab was to test their growth in each medium. Our hypothesis was that while the ampicillin resistant E. Coli would show growth in both LB and LB-AMP plate, the standard E. Coli would only grow in the LB plate for it contains no resistant plasmids against the

The problem is that it is difficult to locate the genes that stimulate adaptation for three reasons:

Our hypothesis was half right and half wrong in first thinking that the +pGLO plate with amp and ara would have the most colonies of bacteria and glowing bacteria because the most colonies of bacteria were in the +pGLO with only amp. For example, in the experiment, we had 4 plates with E. coli bacteria on them, 2 with the amp, 1 with ara, and 1 just plain bacteria solution. The +pGLO were the only 2 plates that should have been glowing, because they got the pGLO plasmid DNA of a jellyfish and the other two plates didn’t. This proves the hypothesis to true in the glowing part because it shows that we were right in the +pGLO plate having glowing bacteria. Additionally, after our experiment, we show that the +pGLO plate with the amp was the plate with the most colonies of bacteria and the other +pGLO plate with amp and ara only had one colony of bacteria.

This lab is a fundamental example of Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection because it clearly shows the changes in population that were created because of traits that were considered to be the most advantageous in certain environments. These desired traits were then passed down to subsequent generations leading to a change in the overall genotype and phenotype frequencies of the population. This lab investigation also demonstrated the importance of environment in the role of natural selection. If the brown snails that lived in the grassy field had moved to a different location or had the environment changed, such as the grass in the habitat dying and turning brown, then their survival rates would have been much different.

Biological fitness is fundamental to the evolution of species. It is defined both by survival and reproductive success, determined by the contribution to the gene pool of the next generation. Accordingly, the individual that lives the longest and produces the most fertile offspring has the highest fitness. Fitness is hereditary, genetically based, and phenotypically expressed. Natural selection acts on the translation of phenotypic trait variation to maximize performance, to improve and protect the highest fitness state and allow it to go towards fixation. The modification in the genetic makeup of a population over time correlates with an increased average fitness. However, evolution is not linear. Every behavior, every feature

The biological findings of Charles Darwin contributed to revolutionizing modern understanding of evolution and genetics through the comparison of biodiversity and the trending similarities and differences among members of shared lineage. Darwin's observation of how the environment impacted the evolution of species as they adapted to their surroundings led to the understanding of how new environments may influence new divergent characteristics between members of shared ancestry. This scientific study on heredity contributed to a universal understanding of genes, alleles, chromosomes, and the recombination they incur during reproduction. But what

Diversity increases in similar habitats across the globe by the process of convergent evolution (Withgott & Brennan, 2011). This occurs when similar environmental conditions existing in different regions of the globe cause organisms to develop very similar characteristics. Examples include the many

Natural selection is the outcome of inheritance, variance, and differential reproduction and can operate at many if not all levels of the taxonomic hierarchy (Bergstrom & Dugatkin, 2012). If the level meets the requirements of natural selection, it may be acted upon. Natural selection can vary in the force of selection between each level in the hierarchy and depends highly on the amount of units within the level. The higher the taxonomic level the less units, less variation and multiplication that is found. The levels in which natural selection operates and the strength of its force will be discussed moving down the hierarchy of genes, cells, individuals, populations composed of closely related kin, and groups of distantly related

After completing the experiment, it was evident that the wild allele would result in higher chances in survival and reproduction. When comparing the genders, females were more likely to be in larger numbers. The data was analyzed using the chi-squared value that was calculated for each week. It was determined that on week 3 that it did follow Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium; however, by week five and seven it did not. This proves that our hypothesis was right and the Drosophila melanogaster population did undergo evolution.

Natural selection is considered one of the most important processes for a variety of species and the environment which allows the fittest organisms to produce offspring. To prevent a species from extinction, it is necessary for them to adapt to the surrounding environment. The species which have the ability to adapt to new surroundings will be able to pass their genes through reproduction. Within the process of natural selection, it is possible for the original genetic make-up of a species to become altered. The team will report on the different processes of basic mechanisms of evolution, how natural selection results in biodiversity and why biodiversity is important to continued evolution. The sources of genetic

The phenotype of an organism is the outward expression of its genotype and possesses different alleles for each gene. Alleles code for different traits and are either dominant or recessive, mutant or wild-type. Natural selection acts against different alleles, organisms, and populations forcing them to adapt and survive. The stronger the natural selection, the weaker the impediment from gene flow. Geographic variations also have an impact on an organism's natural selection through migration— emigration vs immigration. In this paper, Hoekstra et al (2014) studied the organism Chaetodipus Intermedius (pocket mice) and the effects of natural selection.

However, it must be considered that a population already well adapted to the laboratory environment may experience outbreeding depression when elevated recombination rate is coupled with significant outcrossing. I speculate that outbreeding depression will not be observed in these short-term experiments with the wild isolates but will likely be observed in the N2 strain. Among the wild isolates, I predict that the elevation of recombination rate will allow the population to adapt more quickly to the environment, resulting in an increase in fitness after 100 generations, and this effect will be proportional to the rate of outcrossing. Dissecting the role of a changing environment and the degree of initial local adaptation are areas that could be explored as extensions of this

Although the definition of relative fitness is simple, the mathematical relationship between absolute and relative fitness is subtle (Bazykin, 1969; Betzig, 1986 and Beatty, 2008). In particular, there is a curve of diminishing returns between these two quantities i.e., increasing the absolute fitness of a genotype by some amount has less effect on relative fitness (compared with the mean relative fitness) than does decreasing the relative fitness of the genotype by the same amount. The importance of mathematical implication of fitness is straightforward i.e., when zygotes attempt to mature, selection acts, killing some. Because a proportion (W1) of A1 individuals and a proportion (W2) of A2 individuals survive, the proportion of individuals that carry A1 after selection acts is