SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION
What exactly is EVOLUTION is in this class?
• Evolution- a change in the GENETIC characteristic of population from
one generation to the next.

• It’s the “Change over time”

• Humans evolved from monkeys

Selection
Natural selection

In 1858, Charles Darwin and

Natural selection is one of
the basic mechanisms of
evolution, along with
mutation and migration.
Alfred Russell Wallace
published a theory of
evolution by natural
selection, which is still an
acceptable theory today.
Darwin’s theory of natural selection
Darwin’s theory

Key points of theory of evolution by natural selection:

Individuals in a species show a wide range of variation

These variation are because of differences in their genes

Individuals with characteristics most suited to the environment are more likely to
survive and reproduce

The genes that allow these individuals to be successful are passed to their offspring
the offspring will also survive longer.

In time, this particular variety will outnumber and finally replace the original variety.
Darwin's grand idea of evolution by natural selection is relatively simple but often misunderstood. To find out how it
works, imagine a population of beetles:
• The new variations are said to have survival value.

• This is natural selection; the better adapted varieties

are ‘selected’ by the pressures of the environment
(selection pressures).
Competition and selection
• https://wordwall.net/play/3149/265/338

In Darwin's theory on the mechanism of

evolution, competition among living things is
viewed as a major part of the “struggle for
existence” and therefore as a basis for natural
selection (Darwin 1872).
Competition and selection
• There will be competition between
members of the rabbit population for
food, burrows and mates.

• If food is scarce, space is short and the

number of potential mates limited, then
only the healthiest, most vigorous, most
fertile and otherwise well adapted rabbits
will survive and breed.
 Competition
and selection
• Let’s play a game:
• Be the predator……..

• https://askabiologist.asu.edu/pe
ppered-moths-game/play.html
• Booklet Q4

• O610/42/M/J/20 Q5