Who Wants to Live a Million Years: Analysis of a Natural Selection Simulation

1.  It took me about 5 generations to finally win a game, I think it took me this long because the species I chose had good variations, and passed their traits down to their relatives that allowed them to survive through different climates and were able to survive through the hazards of other species. I think it means that for some species, their survival is limited, due to habitat and traits passed down to them.

2. The phenotypes/phenotype combinations I chose were the ones that could survive through cold, and humid conditions, and prevent other species attacking them. I think they survived the longest because, as Darwin quotes "survival of the fittest" which shows how I won the game using the techniques of choosing the right species of survival.

3. I think that the population of theoretical creatures would be affected by genetic drift because over time, the creatures are going to adapt differently to new environment changes and may have a gene variant change. The evidence of drift I noticed in the game was that over each generation, the organisms/species adapt to other environmental changes and survive through the generations.

4. The alleles/phenotypes that seemed to be dominant are when the species I chose in the game adapted/evolved to the environment, and how the species changed their traits and adaptation skills through the process of different climate and species breeding.

5. When the species face a new environmental change/threat, the way they respond to it dictates their phenotypes of being dominant/recessive, or the way they react and adapt to the change, for example: in cold conditions, if the species react the adaptation properly, will grow fur and hibernate and survive through the winter, in hot conditions, they will shed their skin, when a new large predator joins the scene, the species will usually fight back/run away, for a new tall food source, the surviving species who are tall enough to eat the tomato looking plants in the game will soon breed and exhibit variations and will be able to eat the plant for the next generation.

6. I would improve this simulation biologically by putting in real animal species, that show a realistic example of the animals real life natural selection process. I would also put in description of the environments on how the can effect the species, and lastly I would put on a description of the natural selection process from Charles Darwin himself, and facts about alleles/phenotypes to make it less confusing.