rock pocket mice - Name:_Ashby Austin_ How Can Evolution Be Observed in Mouse Populations? Activity 1 1. View the images of the rock pocket mouse | Course Hero
Historically, rock pocket mice have been subdivided into as many as ten subspecies (Benson 1933; Dice and Blossom 1937) based on geographical distribution and coat colour. Most rock pocket mouse populations have light, tawny fur consistent with the colour of the desert rocks on which they live.
This activity allows students to collect and analyze data on the evolution of coat color in rock pocket mouse populations living on differently colored substrates. Students analyze data from images of rock pocket mouse populations in different settings and over time.
It is sometimes grouped in the genus Perognathus. Found mainly in rocky outcrops in the deserts of the southwestern United States and Mexico, the rock pocket mouse is medium-sized (length ~18 cm, weight ~12–18g) and nocturnal. It eats mainly plant seeds and makes small burrows in soil close to or under rocks to evade owls, its main predator.
There are two common varieties—a light-colored variety and a dark-colored variety. There are also two major colors of substrate, or surface materials that make up the desert floor.
Geographic Range Rock pocket mice occur in rocky habitats in the southwestern United States, from south-central Utah through much of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas (western Sonora, Chihuahua and Trans-Pecos), as well as northwestern Mexico (Wilson and Ruff, 1999; Weckerly et.
The rock pocket mouse, Chaetodipus intermedius, provides an excellent system to study geographic variation in phenotype within a single species, and allows us to explore this variation in light of the underlying genetic structure of this species.
Why were some mice light colored and some mice dark colored? Some dark mice evolved to be as dark as the rock. The color change is occurred precisely where it would conceal the mice from hunters. The dark mice came to be because the DNA went through a random and spontaneous mutation.
The rock pocket mouse, Chaetodipus intermedius, provides a useful system for studying the genetics of adaptation. This species is found in rocky habitats in southern Arizona, New Mexico, and in adjacent areas in northern Mexico.
The rock pocket mouse is a living example of Darwin's process of natural selection. The film features Dr. Michael Nachman, whose work in the field and in the lab has quantified the selective pressure of predators and identified the genes involved in adaptation.
The illustrations and short film show that there is natural variation of coat color in the population of rock pocket mice living on the lava flow. The short film explains that mutations can cause a change in coat color, and that these genetic changes are being passed on to offspring.
It can provide an advantage if the environment favors a certain fur color. ***What role does the rock pocket mouse play in the desert food web? a rock pocket mouse's color influences its overall fitness. Remember that "fitness" is defined by an organism's ability to survive and produce offspring in its environment.
What is the genetic basis of the trait? Mutations in the Mc1r gene are responsible for the appearance of dark fur color in this particular population of rock pocket mice.
The difference between dark and light mice boils down to a difference of four chemical letters in a gene called MC1R. Because the gene controls the amount of dark pigment in a mouse's hair follicles, a mouse with these mutations grows dark fur, which gives it an advantage on a dark background.
A complete answer should resemble the following, with partial credit given to students who do not include all the key terms or concepts (key terms are in italics): “Rock pocket mice with dark-colored fur were more fit on dark-colored volcanic rock because visual predators could not see them well; that is, natural ...
Why did dark-colored rock pocket mice first appear in a population of light-colored rock pocket mice? They have a genetic mutation that affects their fur color. There is dark lava rock in the area where they live. Individuals change color to blend in with the environment.
Rock pocket mouse. The rock pocket mouse ( Chaetodipus intermedius) is one of 19 species of pocket mice in the genus Chaetodipus. It is sometimes grouped in the genus Perognathus.
Historically, rock pocket mice have been subdivided into as many as ten subspecies (Benson 1933; Dice and Blossom 1937) based on geographical distribution and coat colour. Most rock pocket mouse populations have light, tawny fur consistent with the colour of the desert rocks on which they live. However, darker coloured rock pocket mice are found living amid black, basaltic rock formations.
Binomial name. Chaetodipus intermedius. ( Merriam, 1889) The rock pocket mouse ( Chaetodipus intermedius) is one of 19 species of pocket mice in the genus Chaetodipus. It is sometimes grouped in the genus Perognathus.
In 2003, scientists sampled DNA from both light- and dark-coloured rock pocket mice from areas in Pinacate Peaks, Mexico and New Mexico, USA. In the Pinacate mice, they discovered a perfect association between different versions of the Melanocortin-1 receptor ( Mc41r6) gene and coat colour .
It eats mainly plant seeds and makes small burrows in soil close to or under rocks to evade owls, its main predator. The breeding season spans a few months, starting in February or March, and the litter size is typically between three and six. As with most pocket mice, the tail is longer than the body (~10 cm).