What causes different fur colors answers key

This document is made available by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Using this document, you agree to usethis document in accordance with theTerms of Use.INTRODUCTIONRock pocket mice are interesting in many ways. They make a living in the intense heat of the desert. They alsocome in different fur colors, from tan to black. Scientists have a good understanding of what causes fur color inindividualmice. The amount, type, and distribution of a pigment molecule called melanin gives fur its color. Butwhy are almost all the mice in somepopulationsblack and those in other populations mostly tan? Whatdetermines these patterns?The American Southwest is a fantastic place to study rock pocket mice with different coat colors. Lava flowscreated patches of dark rock among the surrounding light-colored sand. Researchers noticed that black rockpocket mice were more common on the dark lava flows, whereas the tan rock pocket mice were more commonon the light-colored sand. They suggested that these patterns could be explained by evolution by naturalselection. But what is the evidence for this claim?GET THESE MATERIALS READY BEFORE YOU WATCH THE SHORT FILM: THE MAKING OF THE FITTEST●1_Evolution by Natural Selection Explanation Table●2_Transcript from the short filmThe Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation●3_Additional Evidence for an Explanation handoutPROCEDURE1.Begin watching the short filmThe Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptationup to the 2:37time mark. Pause the video when Dr. Nachman says, “Almost all of them.”2.On your own, write your best answers to the following questions.a.How would biologists explain how the mice on the lava flow evolved black fur? Include all the elementsyou think are needed for a full explanation.

IB Environmental Systems and Societies 2017

ELA.RST.9-12.3, ELA.RST.9-12.4