The project:
This project was based on extinction. It involved researching a species and learning about it's ancestry and it's survival in modern times. Our species, the Siamese rosewood is a tree from south east Asia. The Siamese rosewood is illegally harvested constantly and it is very likely they will be extinct within the next 10 years.
Reflection:
In this project I had a few high and low points. First, one of the high points of the project was managing to convince my group members to do some work on the project. Choosing a species for the project was another high point because my group had some difficulty with the decision. One of the low points was researching the species itself. The species didn't have much information on it because it was very rare. Lastly, the final low point in our project was trying to figure out what the ancestry of our species was. Since it was not well documented we were not able to.
Concepts:
Evolution:
Evolution is the the process of species evolving in response to their environment. The species in our project changed over time to become different species. For example, our species was once another creature and due to their environment they eventually changed to become what they are today. What they are today is better suited for the environment.
Speciation:
Speciation is when a new species evolves and splits off from another species. In our project our species originally evolved and branched off from their common ancestor and genus.
Allopatric Speciation:
The process of speciation when a species is geographically separated. The species evolve because of geographic isolation. Our species is not geographically isolated, it lives in a area that is not separated from the main ecosystem. It likely evolved from other factors.
Isolation:
Isolation in this context is defined as a species being split into groups. When they are split into groups they no longer share genes so the changes in one group will cause them to become a different species. some form of isolation had to happen for the siamese rosewood to be able to evolve without natural selection.
Geographic Isolation:
geographic isolation is when a species is separated by geographic barriers like mountains, oceans, cliffs.
Simpatric Speciation:
The process in which a new species evolves within a species in the same geographic region. This often happens because of behavioral differences and non random mating that create the isolation necessary for a new species to occur. For example, if species mate in a non random way, a new species could emerge in the same area because of this.
Gene Flow:
Gene flow is the movement of genes in a population. speciation happens because some factor isolates the species into two groups. Then the genes of those groups can change independently. If they were not isolated then all the individuals in the population would still exchange genes, thus gene flow. There is gene flow for our species. When it mates it exchanges genes and then it's genes flow to different places.
Non random mating:
Non random mating is when individuals select their mates based on certain factors instead of just randomly. For example, certain birds select their mates based on the quality of their mating dance. The males who are not desirable mating partners then will not pass on their genes to others.
Mutation:
a mutation is when a individual's genetic code mutates and changes due to a mistake in the genetic copying process. This starts the process of evolution, because it introduces a new trait in the gene pool. For example, our species reproduces and then there is a mistake in the replication process. Now an individual has a new trait, if this trait is favored by the environment then the trait will be passed on more. Next, the species would evolve.
Founder's Effect:
Founder's effect is when there is a small population of a species and the population is isolated. Because of this there is less genetic variation and the species DNA can be affected. To demonstrate a smaller group has less genetic variation because there are less individuals. If this group reproduces and grows to a larger size, because of the smaller starting group there will be a lot less genetic variation in the larger group. This is like a genetic bottleneck.
Genetic Drift:
Genetic drift is the evolution of a species due to pure chance. When there is a founder's effect at play there are not many individuals in the population. If one individual happens to survive and some other's don't, this leaves an impact on the species. Their genes are passed along more because of chance. If there was a small group of only 20 individuals on an island and one individual managed to pass on their genes and they were different from the others, it could create a whole new species.
Natural Selection:
Natural selection is the process of the environment selecting the most favorable traits in the population. The chance of a certain trait surviving is determined by how useful it is in the environment the individual with the trait lives in. Then, nature selects the best trait. For example, a fox with a coat that blends in with the grass has a more favorable trait than a fox that doesn't. Natural selection kills of the other foxes and that fox survives.
Artificial Selection:
This is when another species such as humans chooses individuals in a population that they want to survive. Artificial selection works a lot faster than natural selection and can make a new species in only a few hundred years. Wolves were artificially selected by humans in favor of those who were obedient and now we have dogs.
This project was based on extinction. It involved researching a species and learning about it's ancestry and it's survival in modern times. Our species, the Siamese rosewood is a tree from south east Asia. The Siamese rosewood is illegally harvested constantly and it is very likely they will be extinct within the next 10 years.
Reflection:
In this project I had a few high and low points. First, one of the high points of the project was managing to convince my group members to do some work on the project. Choosing a species for the project was another high point because my group had some difficulty with the decision. One of the low points was researching the species itself. The species didn't have much information on it because it was very rare. Lastly, the final low point in our project was trying to figure out what the ancestry of our species was. Since it was not well documented we were not able to.
Concepts:
Evolution:
Evolution is the the process of species evolving in response to their environment. The species in our project changed over time to become different species. For example, our species was once another creature and due to their environment they eventually changed to become what they are today. What they are today is better suited for the environment.
Speciation:
Speciation is when a new species evolves and splits off from another species. In our project our species originally evolved and branched off from their common ancestor and genus.
Allopatric Speciation:
The process of speciation when a species is geographically separated. The species evolve because of geographic isolation. Our species is not geographically isolated, it lives in a area that is not separated from the main ecosystem. It likely evolved from other factors.
Isolation:
Isolation in this context is defined as a species being split into groups. When they are split into groups they no longer share genes so the changes in one group will cause them to become a different species. some form of isolation had to happen for the siamese rosewood to be able to evolve without natural selection.
Geographic Isolation:
geographic isolation is when a species is separated by geographic barriers like mountains, oceans, cliffs.
Simpatric Speciation:
The process in which a new species evolves within a species in the same geographic region. This often happens because of behavioral differences and non random mating that create the isolation necessary for a new species to occur. For example, if species mate in a non random way, a new species could emerge in the same area because of this.
Gene Flow:
Gene flow is the movement of genes in a population. speciation happens because some factor isolates the species into two groups. Then the genes of those groups can change independently. If they were not isolated then all the individuals in the population would still exchange genes, thus gene flow. There is gene flow for our species. When it mates it exchanges genes and then it's genes flow to different places.
Non random mating:
Non random mating is when individuals select their mates based on certain factors instead of just randomly. For example, certain birds select their mates based on the quality of their mating dance. The males who are not desirable mating partners then will not pass on their genes to others.
Mutation:
a mutation is when a individual's genetic code mutates and changes due to a mistake in the genetic copying process. This starts the process of evolution, because it introduces a new trait in the gene pool. For example, our species reproduces and then there is a mistake in the replication process. Now an individual has a new trait, if this trait is favored by the environment then the trait will be passed on more. Next, the species would evolve.
Founder's Effect:
Founder's effect is when there is a small population of a species and the population is isolated. Because of this there is less genetic variation and the species DNA can be affected. To demonstrate a smaller group has less genetic variation because there are less individuals. If this group reproduces and grows to a larger size, because of the smaller starting group there will be a lot less genetic variation in the larger group. This is like a genetic bottleneck.
Genetic Drift:
Genetic drift is the evolution of a species due to pure chance. When there is a founder's effect at play there are not many individuals in the population. If one individual happens to survive and some other's don't, this leaves an impact on the species. Their genes are passed along more because of chance. If there was a small group of only 20 individuals on an island and one individual managed to pass on their genes and they were different from the others, it could create a whole new species.
Natural Selection:
Natural selection is the process of the environment selecting the most favorable traits in the population. The chance of a certain trait surviving is determined by how useful it is in the environment the individual with the trait lives in. Then, nature selects the best trait. For example, a fox with a coat that blends in with the grass has a more favorable trait than a fox that doesn't. Natural selection kills of the other foxes and that fox survives.
Artificial Selection:
This is when another species such as humans chooses individuals in a population that they want to survive. Artificial selection works a lot faster than natural selection and can make a new species in only a few hundred years. Wolves were artificially selected by humans in favor of those who were obedient and now we have dogs.