The trait that I’m going to build on is camouflage. If seahorses have very efficient coloration camouflage it won’t be seen from predators, ensuring its survival and reproduction.
1.
I would make the hedgehog seahorse live in artificial aquatic bed where there is coral and seaweed. I would mutate the genes of the seahorse with the chameleon’s coloration adaptation. This would make the seahorse regenerate chromatophore cells. Chromatophore cells are pigments in the cells containing light-reflecting cells. I would be able to do this because a chameleon and seahorse’s outer layer (skin) isn’t a dead tissue, and both organisms have muscles under their skin. Other organisms have dead tissue in feathers, furs, and human fingernail. Chameleons have cell signaling on their chromatophore cells from hormones controlled by physiological disturbances (mood, temperature, and stress) so that the chromatophore cells increase or decrease in size which causes the cells to blend with the color of the surrounding. Chromatophore cells are responsible for generating eye color during embryonic development. This would mean that the seahorse would be able to reproduce with this dominant genetic engineered trait. After the experiment we would test it by placing an oval plastic shell on the seahorse where there is enough water to extract oxygen from, and place large crabs that can live in the same climate to try and target the seahorse. This will physiologically send messages to the chromatophore cells, and they will increase size changing the color of the seahorse so that it blends with its surroundings. This genetic engineered trait could also be used as an offensive trait because chromatophore can make the colors darken or lighten therefore making a viscous kill to their targets.
2.
I chose this trait because the number one reasons seahorses are being killed are because they’re seen too easily, and they’re slow. I had the option to choose both of these, so I chose camouflage because it’s cooler when seen.
3.
The time it takes to complete 100 generation depends on when it reaches sexual maturity. For hedgehog seahorses there are types.
Size:
Small 7-8cm
Medium 8-10cm
Large 10-12cm
Xlarge 12-15cm
Sexual Maturity
6-15 months for size S,
15-24 months for size M,
24-26 months for size L, and XL
Size Small: 6-15 months x 100 = 600-1500 = 50 years- 125 years
Size Medium: 15-24 months x 100 = 1500-2400 = 125 years – 200 years
Size Large: 24-26 months x 100 = 2400-2600 = 200 years – 217 years
Size Xlarge: 24-26 x 100 = 2400-2600 = 200 years – 217 years
Therefore a hedgehog seahorse would need to be measured first to know how much a generation would be.
4.
The hedgehog seahorse shape would look the same as before but this time it will have chromatophore cells, so it color would vary like a chameleons. I could have sink textures as the ones shown below, compared to the original.
Original
These original skin textures of hedgehog seahorses are different, because of the bright light the camera used to take the pictures. Over all they look similar to the first snapshot shown.
Transgenic skin
These skin textures could be the outcome of transgenic hedgehog seahorses.
The differences are that the transgenic skin have bumps on them. There could be more if the experiment was to work, because the hedgehog seahorse could blend to its surrounding and have colors like coral, sand, and seaweed.
References
Information from these sites
Images from these sites
