Association for Biology Laboratory Education

Simulating Genetic Drift and Natural Selection
 

Amy L. Marion

Advances in Biology Laboratory Education, 2020, Volume 41

https://doi.org/10.37590/able.v41.art12

Abstract

The concepts associated with evolutionary processes can be challenging for students, especially without a way to conduct hands-on experiments about processes that occur in evolutionary time frames. Laboratory simulations make it possible to allow the manipulation of variables that could not otherwise be investigated. This experiment includes two simulations; one to investigate the impact of population size on the degree of genetic drift in a population, and a second simulation to demonstrate the effect of a selective pressure on the evolution of a population. The comparison of results from each simulation allows the processes of genetic drift and natural selection to be clearly delineated from each other.

Keywords:  simulation, genetic drift, Natural Selection, Evolution

University of Ottawa (2019)