Black Footed Ferret Lab (Genetics)

Purpose: To demonstrate genetics in a real population using real life situations

Background-read the black-footed ferret life history

Hypothesis: Not needed

Materials:

  1. Life history sheet for black-footed ferret4. 18 beads (2 of each color selected randomly)
  2. Lab handout5. 1 cup
  3. Gene/Bead Key

Procedure: See handout

Data:

Table 1:

Bead Color / Allele symbol / Dominant trait / Parent Alleles / Parent Phenotype / Offspring Alleles / Offspring Phenotype
Yellow / Y / Camouflage
Brown / B / Precise Vision
Orange / O / Accurate sense of smell
Aqua / A / Strong claws and forearms
Blue / U / Healthy Jaw formation
Green / G / Agility
Purple / P / Acute hearing
Red / R / Healthy reproduction rate
Tan / T / Immunity to Canine Distemper

Table 2:

Color / Vision / Smell / Strength / Jaw / Agility / Hearing / Repro. rate / Immunity
Characteristics lost-

Table 3:

Card number- / #_____ / #_____ / #_____ / #_____ / #_____
Brief description of Enviro. Situation-

Analysis:

  1. What is the percentage of dominant traits your ferret carries?

______Dominant traits ÷ 9 (possible traits) = ______x 100 = ______% genetic diversity

  1. Write a paragraph of what your group feels will happen to your ferret (Parent) using the environmental situations that you chose. Include at least 5 traits and how those traits benefit or impair your population in the given environmental situations.
  1. Are the offspring in your population equipped to handle the environmental situations better or not as good as than their parents?
  1. Why are the offspring better off or worse off than their parents?
  1. What is a population bottleneck?
  1. How would the environmental situation in column 1 of table 3 lead to a population bottleneck?
  1. What alleles do you think might be eliminated due to that environmental condition?
  2. Draw another card from the remaining cards in your envelope and briefly describe the situation.
  3. How would a ferret that is still alive in this situation handle this second environmental condition?
  1. How would the environmental situation in column 2 of table 3 lead to a population bottleneck?
  1. What alleles do you think might be eliminated due to that environmental condition?
  2. Draw another card from the remaining cards in your envelope and briefly describe the situation.
  3. How would a ferret that is still alive in this situation handle this second environmental condition?

Conclusion: No formal conclusion for this lab but answer the question: What did your group learn in this lab?