Stickleback Lab

1. Describe the context (why it was done, the general interest and what the researchers wanted to find out) of the research and research question (what is the hypothesis). /10

If the null hypothesis cannot be rejected, the chi-square test was unable to detect a statistically significant difference between observed and expected data. When applying this test to the stickleback experiment, the development of pelvic structures will be compared in order to accept or reject the null hypothesis. If it is rejected, the alternate hypothesis is correct- the environment did have an impact on the development of the pelvic spines, proving that natural selection can drive the evolution not just of simple traits like coat color or body size, but also of complex traits like the size and shapes of body structures and

3- How would you make it an experimental (rather than correlational) study (it might help to be specific here as well and define the two types of studies in your

What are the possible reasons stickleback being capable of unusually rapid adaptive evolution whereas other taxa cannot?

Throughout this course I have learned many things about research at an introductory level. Research is a critical part of all of our lives in many ways. God blesses each of us with a degree of common sense and we all learn from observing others even as babies, we learned behaviors and skills by observing our parents. Walking through experiences throughout life teach us a lot we need to know as well but sometimes we have to take a better approach when we need to learn about certain things. Many of us know that what works in some situations or with certain individuals doesn’t always work or is the safest option for another situation. Controlled and precisely organized study allows scientists to compare and examine contrasting methods and concepts, also helps them to discover various approaches and be able to learn from individual’s behaviors and experiences. I will act as the case study throughout this paper in order to observe what I have learned about.

This experiment fit well the theory of evolution. Overall, evolutionary rates ranged from 4.8 on the largest island to 144.2 on the smallest island. This data point proved that the evolution of mammals on islands is over 30 times greater compare to mainland. Their second result, smaller mammals gravitated to change to a lesser breadth than large mammals, concluded the amount of change does not depend on the area of an island. In their third result, they concluded that the island area have no effect on the direction of size change in island mammals. The number of species, and the number of competitors and predators, the available resource, and the environment are all factors related to island

In the mouse populations lab, different colored mice survive in diverse environments. The results vary among each other. For example, in card 1, there was more light colored fur mice in location A than there was dark colored fur. Though, this became the opposite in location B. In card 2, the results were the same between location A and B. If the mice don’t evolve to the environment, they will die off. The results show what color mice survive the best in each location. In the stickleback fish lab, the stickleback has evolved dependent on the environment. For example, in freshwater a stickleback have many armor plates in the front of the body. Contrarily, oceanic sticklebacks have about thirty armor plates covering their whole body. The stickleback fish had to evolve to new environments to ensure its safety. This means it adapted to defend itself more effectively in other environments. In the beaks of finches lab, if a bird wasn’t successful in getting enough food, they migrated. The seeds were larger in the new environment. This can benefit a bird in better survival. New environments can be more convenient for species. In conclusion, species must evolve to their environment for better

The data collected from this experiment will not contain personal identifiable information. Only the researchers involved with this experiment will have access to the data collected. The paperwork will be stored in a locked file cabinet and the data stored on hard drive on a password protected computer. All information obtained from participants will be kept confidential and protected from unauthorized access. All data sheets will be coded with group labels and numbers. No personal identifying marks of any kind will be present on any of the data forms. The data sheets will be stored separately from the signed consent forms. All data from this study will be reported as group averages. No single identifiable cases will ever be reported.

Describe the experimental method, state its advantages and disadvantages, and distinguish between independent and dependent variables.

The main strength of this experiment was the fact the original hypothesis mentioned above was supported by the data. Another strength of this experiment is the methodology. They assessed 5 different

The question being investigated is, “what is the population size of grasshoppers found between Gregory street, the bridge and in the area of the no mow zone by the creek.” The purpose of this lab is to find the population size by using the technique of mark & recapture. Mark and recapture is a technique made up of four steps. The first step is to capture organisms and then mark them, after capturing, release the marked organisms then let time to pass in order to give the organism a chance to intermingle. After letting time pass, capture a second group which is known as recapturing and record the total number of organisms that was captured the second round and then record if any of the organisms have a mark. The last step is to perform the Lincoln

When census data cannot be collected, statisticians collect data by developing specific experiment designs and survey samples. Representative sampling assures that inferences and conclusions can safely extend from the sample to the population as a whole. An experimental study involves taking measurements of the system under study, manipulating the system, and then taking additional measurements using the same procedure to determine if the manipulation has modified the values of the measurements. In contrast, an observational study does not involve experimental

The researchers included one hundred thirty-five children in their experiment in order to test their hypothesis. Out of these children, ninety were considered

out in a lab, thus ecological validity could have been a influence on the results of the study.

How was the research conducted and with what materials and methods (experimentally or otherwise), and why were these methods used?