(70pts) recall the story of three blind mice where the farmer’s wife cuts off the mouse tails with a carving knife. because of their tailless condition, the farm cat can’t catch the tailless mice which allows them to be better able to survive and reproduce than the tailed mice. using only the information given in this problem, explain what will happen to this population of mice over time (50 years)

What will happen to the population of mice that it will keep growing at a tremendous rate without a fear of being caught by a predatory. This will increase the population curve of mice but will decrease the population curve of the cat at similar speed.

What else can happen is that cats will no longer be depending on Mice for their food and they will be finding some alternate food host.

What else can happen is the trait of tailless cannot  be favored by environment as proposed by Lamarack in his theory of evolution that if organism acquires some favorable trait during his life then it is possible that he will pass this trait to offspring. Though this trait is not naturally induced therefore,  there are no chances that tailless mice can born and nature choose it as a favorable trait.

In 1880 August weismenn did experiment of similar nature, he cut off the tails of 20 successive generations of mice abut not a single tailless mouse was born. Therefore, he proved that until nature selects some traits, they are not that easily passed from one generation to another if induced by human.

Conclusion: Therefore, after 50 generation mice will be just like parent mice with tails however they will have good population and less predators.

Hope it help!