Lab 2: Dog Domestication Summary Dogs have shared company with humans for at least the last 12,000 years. Although dogs interbreed with each other and with coyotes, wolves, and jackals, strong evidence exists for wolves being the only ancestor of all dog breeds. Were dogs domesticated only once in human history? In this simulation lab you will compare DNA sequences of wolves and construct phylogenetic trees using SimBio simulation software. Then you will simulate events that lead to the domestication of dogs. By doing so you will gain a thorough understanding of evolution, population genetics, and domestication. At the end of the lab you will have the tools to explain the events leading to the stunning variety of dog breeds that we see nowadays. You will need to access the SimBio software online. You will receive the URL link for the software from your tutor in the tutor welcome letter (via course mail/email).
If you have difficulty in accessing the SimBio simulation material, please contact your tutor. Time Required This lab takes about 3 hours. The activities are broken down into six exercises, each of which can be done independently. It is important, however, to follow the sequence provided. If possible, try to find a partner for Exercise 5. Whether or not you have a partner, take notes about the time of your dog domestication activities and about where the wolves came from while you run the simulation in
Exercise 5. These notes will be helpful for your subsequent interpretation. Materials to Submit The workbook that you can access with the software online provides the theoretical background for the activities that follow. Please submit the answers to the questions for all six exercises in a text file Principles of Biology IIB 5 (MS-Word or .rtf). Note: In some instances you may need to include tables or diagrams in your answers. For each exercise, please include the exercise number, the question numbers, and your answers.
Exercise 6: Follow the instructions given in question 1.1 with the following changes: your report does not require a methods section, and one page is sufficient for your report. In addition, submit the written answers to the ten graded questions at the end of your SimBio file. You can find these questions as a separate item with the other exercises in the SimBio software.