Rock Pocket Mouse Evolution
The rock pocket mice are located in the Valley of Fire, New Mexico. The lava flow started 1000 years ago. The mice evolved through natural selection to adapt to their enviroment.
Initially, the rock pocket mice's bright fur made them stand out against the dark rock. This made them easier to spot for predators such as hawks, owls, snakes, and fox.
This is what drove the natural selection along with the dark rock causing mice who live on dark rock to have darker fur, which camouflaged them. According to Dr. Nachman, "The change in color over evolutionary time in the population is driven by predators weeding out the mice that don't match their background".
When the lava flow started 1000 years ago, most mice had light colored fur and were spotted easily. Over time, mutations occurred causing some mice to have dark fur. The mice with dark fur who lived on dark rock had an advantage and it was easier for them to survive, while the light colored mice on the dark rock were killed. The light mice on the light rock survived but the black mice on the black rock did not. This caused the black mice to stay on the dark rock and the light mice to stay on the light rock.
Vocabulary
Mutation- the changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations, caused by the alteration of single base units in DNA, or the deletion, insertion, or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes.
DNA- a self-replicating material that is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.
Genes- a unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
Evolution- the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
Natural Selection- Natural selection is the process through which species adapt to their environments.
