Richard Lenski and His Colleagues' Long-Term Evolution Experiments in E

question 4

Essay

Richard Lenski and his colleagues' long-term evolution experiments in E. coli provide unprecedented insight into natural selection. In the experiment, 12 parallel E. coli lineages were created and maintained, cells from each line were periodically frozen, and the team followed the lineages for more than 60,000 generations. By using multiple independent lineages started from the same colony, these experiments help determine how predictable evolution is. How can you assess predictability from these experiments, and what did they find about predictability in evolution?

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Definitions:

Social Construction

A concept or perception of reality influenced and constructed by societal norms and interactions.

Microsystem

A concept in ecology and environmental science referring to the smallest unit of a habitat where organisms interact with each other and their environment.

Heritage

The traditions, practices, and beliefs handed down from previous generations, often forming part of a person's cultural identity.

Ethnic Group

A group of people or population united by shared cultural heritage or ancestry.