- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 651
- Joined: Oct 19, 2022
- Fri Feb 23, 2024 5:27 pm
#105435
Hi sammohamed,
I think that you may be making this one more complicated than it needs to be.
There are two genetically distinct groups of sockeye salmon that each live in different parts of the lake. Since the original sockeye salmon population was genetically identical, the researchers hypothesize that the original group split into two groups that went to different parts of the lake and then genetically adapted to each of their habitats. In other words, the genetic adaptation to their different environments caused their current genetic differences.
One possible way to weaken this argument would be to find an alternate cause for the genetic differences. For example, if one of the groups of sockeye salmon interbreed with the native salmon (while the other group did not interbreed), this would be a possible alternate cause for the genetic differences that has nothing to do with genetic adaptation to their different environments.
By establishing that neither group did interbreed with the native salmon, it eliminates a major possible alternate cause and therefore strengthens the claim that the genetic differences were caused by genetic adaptations to their different environments.
You wrote that you "feel this is not a great test question because it requires you to decide that achieving adapted genetics through mating is not itself genetic adaption."
That isn't the case. The question does require to you realize that genetic differences caused by mating with another breed of salmon is not the same as genetic adaptations caused by their distinct habitats.
To be clear, what "caused by their distinct habitats" means is that the specific environmental differences in the shallow areas and the deep areas of the lake (such as water temperature, etc.) caused the salmon to genetically adapt.
I think that you may be making this one more complicated than it needs to be.
There are two genetically distinct groups of sockeye salmon that each live in different parts of the lake. Since the original sockeye salmon population was genetically identical, the researchers hypothesize that the original group split into two groups that went to different parts of the lake and then genetically adapted to each of their habitats. In other words, the genetic adaptation to their different environments caused their current genetic differences.
One possible way to weaken this argument would be to find an alternate cause for the genetic differences. For example, if one of the groups of sockeye salmon interbreed with the native salmon (while the other group did not interbreed), this would be a possible alternate cause for the genetic differences that has nothing to do with genetic adaptation to their different environments.
By establishing that neither group did interbreed with the native salmon, it eliminates a major possible alternate cause and therefore strengthens the claim that the genetic differences were caused by genetic adaptations to their different environments.
You wrote that you "feel this is not a great test question because it requires you to decide that achieving adapted genetics through mating is not itself genetic adaption."
That isn't the case. The question does require to you realize that genetic differences caused by mating with another breed of salmon is not the same as genetic adaptations caused by their distinct habitats.
To be clear, what "caused by their distinct habitats" means is that the specific environmental differences in the shallow areas and the deep areas of the lake (such as water temperature, etc.) caused the salmon to genetically adapt.