Hunger Games Final Analysis

1. In this lab, we simulated evolution at a rapid pace. People were given different traits that they needed to use to 'eat' the corks, and there were set amounts of food that people needed to eat in order to survive. After the round is over, the survivors reproduced. They would flip a coin with alleles on it, and this would determine the traits of the offspring. The offspring were basically revived people that died in the previous round. 
2. The pinchers (aa) were the best at getting food because they were able to grab it bwterrn their thumb and their index finger. The knuckles were decent at getting food, but they just we're not as good as the pinchers. Picking food up between your thumb and index finger is very natural for people, so that's why I believe they did the best. 
3. The population did evolve. It started out as a tie. 7 Pinchers, 7 Knucklers, and 7 Stumpys were alive. About halfway through through the lab there were: 11 Pinchers, 7 Knucklers, and 1 Stumpy. At the end of the lab there were only 4 Knucklers, 1 Stumpy, and 13 Pinchers. This is clear quantitative evidence that the population quickly evolved. 
4. Reproduction was defiantly not random. People were selecting their mates because they may have wanted a certain type of offspring. On the other hand, food placement was completely random. Also, the allele type of the offspring was random since we were flipping coins.
5. The corks were a really good size for the Knucklers, but if they were larger that would have changed. If the food was a softball, the Knucklers would have immediately died. the Pinchers would have more trouble, and I believe the Stumpys might do the best. This could happen in nature if the food source changes. This could also happen if a new type of fruit tree/bush becomes present, and some animals are able to eat more than the others.
6. If there wasn't incomplete dominance, then all the alleles with 'Aa' would become Stumpys too.  This would mean that there is a much greater chance of having a stumpy than a pincher because the allele combinations are 2 to 1. 
7. Natural selection could be more related to reproduction. If Pinchers are attracted to Knucklers then they will always naturally mate with them. This is a form of natural selection. Evolution is related to the fact how the population changed over the 7 year period because the Stumpys and Knucklers couldn't eat as much food as the Pinchers. 
8. People reproduced with others usually based on their allele type. This is supporting certain populations because there is higher chance of having offspring of this type. This could occur in nature with certain animals being naturally attracted to other animals. 
9. In evolution, the best traits still survive. The unsuccessful traits get weeded out of the gene pool. This over time evolves to make the population better. Natural selection acts on genotype and phenotype. Natural selection is a huge part of evolution because it is really changing the odds. 

Click here to see my graph!