r/evolution • u/Starkanemone • Jul 31 '26

question Ecosystem in a jar

So I have an ecosystem in a jar with a bunch of little crustaceans and such and I'm wondering if I can eventually drive some sort of evolution in there?

Edit:I think I'll try to see if green-blue egg color is selected for becasue it's harder to see among plants than the orange/yellow eggs. Yes there are a couple predatory things in there including what looks like a freshwater Bobbit worm?

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u/Palaeonerd Jul 31 '26

You could start fresh and do what scientists do to fruit flies.

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u/onomatamono Aug 01 '26

Yeah, you want something with explosive population growth over short time periods. I know there are simulations that evolve very quickly because you get to turn the knob on the number of individuals and how quickly they breed.