Lesson 1 of an A Level teaching resource, produced in conjunction with the Charles Darwin Trust, that uses Darwin's work on pigeon breeding and the work of contemporary scientists to explore genetics and evolution. This first lesson covers the topics of artificial selection and genetics. The accompanying teacher's notes can be found on our website at www.linnean.org/funkypigeons

1. Funky Pigeons
Revealing the biology of
inheritance and
selection
Lesson 1
Artificial Selection and Genetics
Picture courtesy John Ross: darwinspigeons.com

2. Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
“Although man does not cause
variability and cannot even prevent
it, he can select, preserve, and
accumulate the variations given to
him by the hand of nature in any way
which he chooses; and thus he can
certainly produce a great result.”
Charles Darwin
The variation of animals and plants
under domestication, 1868

3. Amassing evidence of variation from a
common ancestor
The Rock Dove
English
Fantail
African
Owl
English
Barb
English
Pouter
English
Carrier

4. The power of selection: change is possible
5000 yrs
Picture courtesy John Ross: darwinspigeons.com© Mair Shepherd

5. Amassing evidence of variation from a
common ancestor

6. Natural versus Artificial Selection
Natural Selection Artificial Selection
Cause
Environment Humans
Speed of change
Slow Fast
Reason for selection
occurring
The selected trait improves
the organism’s chances of
surviving and reproducing
The trait is desirable to
human breeders
Effect on fitness
Improves fitness (although
only for the circumstances
in which it is selected. If
conditions change, the
selected trait may no
longer be advantageous)
Often causes decrease in
fitness

7. The wild pigeon
Picture by Christine Matthews (commons.wikimedia.org)

8. Blue is recessive
s+s+
Allele for pigeon colour
The allele - Black S, Blue s+
Black is dominant
SS or S s+

9. Darwin on genetics
“...but it will now be seen that when two birds
belonging to distinct races are crossed, neither of
which have, nor probably have had during many
generations, a trace of blue in their plumage...they
very frequently produce mongrel offspring of a blue
colour...”
Charles Darwin
The variation of animals and plants under domestication, 1868

10. Pigeon feather colour

11. Pigeon colour/pattern phenotypes
Solid black
Chequered
Barred
Barless
© Genetics Society of America. From Genetics September 1, 1922 vol. 7 no. 5 466-507 STUDIES ON INHERITANCE IN PIGEONS. IV. CHECKS
AND BARS AND OTHER MODIFICATIONS OF BLACK by Sarah Van Hoosen Jones.

12. Epistasis
• Dominant alleles mask the
action of recessive alleles
• Epistasis is an interaction
between genes: the action
of one gene masks the
action of another
• The epistatic gene masks
the action of the
hypostatic gene