
The Evolve Parameters
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Justifications:
Survival / Reproduction Rates:
As a note, Spot represent slime-producing individuals and Diamond
represent non slime-producing individuals in this scenario.
The survival rates for the hagfish in general were set relatively high.
From what I have read, the hagfish have very slow metabolisms. They are
able to go on for months at a time without food. This leads me to
believe that very few of these fish would die of starvation. The
slime-producing individuals were given a higher survival rate because
the slime would enable them to escape would-be predators more often.
As for reproduction, hagfish reportedly lay anywhere from 10-20 eggs.
For fish, this is a relatively small number, which suggests that the
hagfish have a low mortality rate. However, some of these eggs may get eaten from time to time.
Genetic Drift:
Genetic Drift is probably negligible in such a relatively large
population.
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The Scenario:
In this scenario, the genetic trait we will be investigating is the
ability to produce slime in individuals in a hagfish population.
As mentioned before, the hagfish have slime or mucous glands along
the sides of their bodies. These glands secrete slime in a
concentrated form. When the slime comes into contact with sea water,
the slime quickly swells. This slime is unlike other slimy
secretions in that it is supported by very fine fibres. These fibres
make the slime tougher and gives it tensile strength.
When the hagfish feels threatened, it releases the slime. The slime
can serve two purposes: it can allow the hagfish to slip away from
potential predators and it can threaten to suffocate the predator.
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Justifications
(continued):
Gene Flow:
Hagfish populations tend to be fairly dense. However, their population
is located in an ocean, not an island and is thus subject to gene flow.
Although the precise number of individuals immigrating and emigrating
into and out of the population are unknown, I thought that these numbers
seemed "reasonable".
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Prediction:
We predict that the slime producing trait will give those who
possess it an advantage over non slime-producing individuals.
Because of the advantage this trait holds, this trait will likely
increase in frequency over the generations till it becomes the
"norm". While the lack of the slime-producing trait may be
enough of a disadvantage to cause it to decrease in frequency in
comparison to the the slime producing trait.
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