Question

Biology | 50 Points !! [ I NEED HELP ASAP ]

Let’s consider a different scenario. In this case, the moths live in a forest where they have no predators. Caterpillars (which are baby moths) have a limited amount of food available to them, so they compete with other caterpillars to get enough food. Researchers have made a hypothesis that caterpillars with larger mouth parts are able to obtain food faster than those with smaller mouth parts. They believe that having larger mouth parts is a favorable trait, and that caterpillars with this favorable trait are more likely to live long enough to reproduce and pass this genetic trait on.

Using complete sentences, answer these 3 questions:
1. What data would researchers need to collect in order to start to test their hypothesis?
2. In order to see the effect of natural selection on the caterpillar population, what data would researchers need to collect later?
3. Why would researchers need to collect data at least 2 different times?

Hypothesis:
Caterpillars with larger mout parts are able to obtain food faster than those with smaller mouth parts.

Answer 1

1. -

For scientists to be able to test the hypothesis they need enough information which they will obtain through studies and observation. What they'll have to do is compare small-mouth caterpillars, big-mouth caterpillars and moths - they'll have to find out if the moths came from big-mouth or small-mouth caterpillars.

2. -

Scientists will have to go to the forest and look for caterpillars and observe them. If the ratio of big-mouth caterpillars is higher, it means that for now, the hypothesis is correct and that natural selection is being applied.

3. -

To assure that it wasn't a coincidence or that the mouth-size survival was due to a different factor, they'll have to collect a second wave of data, that needs to be compatible with the first one for the hypothesis to be proved correct.

Hope it helped,

BiologiaMagister