Final answer:
To prove genetic differences cause specific behaviors in voles, researchers use controlled breeding and genetic analysis that tie certain behaviors to genetic markers. Resource availability and predation are factors that can affect genetic variation and behavior in populations. Historical evidence from Mendel's experiments underpins the understanding of genetic inheritance.
Step-by-step explanation:
To demonstrate that genetic differences are responsible for different behaviors in voles, researchers would typically employ controlled breeding and genetic analysis.
Thus, they would cross-breed voles with known behavioral traits and analyze the resulting offspring. If certain behaviors persist within the offspring and correlate with particular genetic markers, this can be taken as evidence that those genes contribute to such behavioral traits.
For example, variations in the level of available resources such as food or changes in predation could place different selective pressures on vole populations. Conditions where food is abundant and predation is low might lead to a population with less genetic variation due to relaxed selection pressures, resulting in a homogenous behavior.
Conversely, if food is scarce or predation rates are high, there may be greater genetic variation as individuals with different traits have disparate survival or reproductive success.
Studies on other species, like guppies, have shown that genetic variability in populations can be influenced by selection pressures based on female mating preferences or predation risks.
Researchers can also look at historical evidence, like that from Gregor Mendel's experiments on pea plants, which established the fundamental patterns of heredity and demonstrate how genetic traits can dominate or recede across generations.