Question

Climate change is an increasing threat that scientists are trying to not only combat but prepare for future increases in temperature and rainfall. One of the effects of climate change is the warming of ocean and air temperatures. The sex of sea turtle offspring is determined by temperature during development. Temperature over 87° Fahrenheit will result in female offspring. In 3-5 sentences, describe how organisms like the sea turtle might adapt to the rise in ocean and air temperatures. In your explanation, describe the correlation between environmental factors and natural selection.

Answer 1

Mutations represent the raw material for evolution. Mutations in genes whose interaction with the environment defines sex during development could enable the adaptation of turtles to global warming conditions.

• Complex traits, also known as quantitative traits, are phenotypic characteristics that result from variation within many genes and their interaction with environmental factors (e.g., temperature).

• In this case, it is expected that the sex of turtles is determined by the effect of quantitative genes that interact with environmental factors (i.e., temperature).

• Mutation in these quantitative genes might lead to the development of turtles where a suitable proportion of males and females in the next generation is determined by higher temperatures.

• Eventually, beneficial mutations can be favored by natural selection, i.e., mutations are selected by exposure to specific environmental conditions (in this case, global warming conditions), thereby increasing their frequency in the next generations.

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