Hunger Games Lab Final Analysis

1. In this lab we had 3 different species(pinchers, stumpys, and knucklers) compete for reproduction and survival with limited resources.
2. The pincher phenotype could capture food quickly and easily because fingers can pickup items easily rather than wrists and knuckles. 
3. The population evolved, because as shown in the graph and data table, the pinchers outlived the stumpys and knucklers overtime, dominating the population. In the end, the "a" allele frequency dominated the "A" allele frequency in a ratio of 77:23.
   
4. Some things in this lab were random, like the placement of food and number of food pieces necessary for survival. The non-random occurrences were the reproduction of individuals and deaths of individuals. Because of this, the pinchers evolved to dominate the population.
5. If the food was larger, then the stumpys would have the advantage over pinchers and knucklers. In nature, events like these could occur when a limited resource, such as food, changes. That change would affect the natural selection of the species. 
6. Without incomplete dominance in the knucklers, the species would eventually have reproductive isolation and grow apart because of disruptive selection. 
7. Natural selection goes hand in hand with evolution. It uses phenotypes of species best suited to survive and reproduce to change the genotype of the population over time. Ultimately, natural selection is one type of change that causes evolution. 
8. Different behavioral strategies were observed. A stumpy had sat on a pile of corks until everyone left.This stumpy was successful and survived. Also, some knucklers pushed away corks to form a pile hidden behind them, which was successful at first, but people soon discovered it. Also, people would use their bodies to guard food and block others from the source of food. Pinchers and knucklers put corks in their pockets and shirts as a container. These strategies increased the likelihood of survival and reproduction by allowing individuals to obtain more food. This would affect the allele frequency by keeping certain species alive longer than others, because of their strong desire to survive and reproduce. This often happens in nature, for example, many animals use a defense mechanism where they appear bigger to intimidate predators and competition and to protect their resources. 
9. In evolution, the genotype evolves after natural selection acts on the phenotype. The phenotype is what natural selection acts on for survival, but over time this changes the genotype of the species through evolution. 
10. If there was a human disturbance or natural disaster causing more limited resources, would behavioral strategies be the only way to survive, or would pinchers just completely dominate the population? Or is it just luck, like in genetic drift?