Question

Film Review: Rock Pocket Mice of the Desert Southwest
1. The rock pocket mice come in two variations:
a. Light mice which are found: _________________
b. dark mice which are found: _________________
2. What organisms provide the selective force in the mouse population:

3. How did the dark mice originate?

4. What determines the value of a mutation?

5. What is the explanation for the dark mice having a light underbelly?

6. Mutation is a ____event; but ____ is not.

7. Dark color is considered a(n) ___________ which improves survival.

Answer 1

1.

a. Light mice which are found in the light colored sand and rocks of the Golden desert of SW America

b. Dark mice which are found in the dark rocky lava area of the Golden desert of SW America.

2. The organisms that provided selective force in mouse populations were predators like hawks, owls and rattle snakes. These predators prayed on the light colored mouse in the dark lava rock.

3. Dark mice originated by a genetic mutation in the MC1r gene of the light colored mouse.

4. The value of mutation is determined by the amount of competitive advantage obtained by the mutated one when compaired to wild type. Mutation which was advantageous to the pocket mouse inreased survival, resulted in natural selection.

5. There is no selection of dark bellies by visual predators. So even if the belly color is white, the outer black fur concealed them from the vision of predators.

6. Mutation is a random event ; but natural selection is not.

(Mutations will be passed from one generation to other)

7.Dark color is considered an advantageous mutation which improves the survival.

(Dark coloration leads to less predation)