Darwin and His Theory of

Evolution by Natural Selection

Evolution- changes in
populations over time

Charles Darwin was the first to

propose a feasible
mechanism for evolution. It
is called natural selection.
Evolution by Natural Selection is a theory.
What is a scientific theory?
Scientific Theory- an idea that is strongly
supported by evidence. It is generally accepted
and used to explain many observations.

*Remember: The word “theory” in everyday

language and in scientific language mean very
different things.

In everyday language, people use the word

theory to mean a hypothesis or an educated
guess.
Natural Selection-
differential success in
survival and
reproduction of
individuals with
different phenotypes
resulting from
interactions with their
environments
Conditions Needed for Natural Selection: VISTA
1. Variation
There are a variety of forms of traits or
phenotypes.
 Conditions Needed for Natural Selection: VISTA
2. Inheritance

● Only traits that are determined by an organism’s

genes will be passed to the next generation.

● Some variation is caused by the environment, such as

the loss of a limb or the building of muscle. These
traits are not heritable, so they can’t be selected for in
the next generation.
 What causes genetic variation?
1) Mutations- changes in the
DNA sequence can result in
new traits
2) Sexual Reproduction- New
combinations of traits can be
created in gametes due to
crossing over and
independent assortment
during meiosis.
The wide variety of gametes
created will join together to
make diverse offspring.
Remember natural selection can only act on the
heritable variation that EXISTS in a population.
 Conditions Needed for Natural Selection:
VISTA
3. Survival and Reproduction
● Individuals compete for limited resources, such as food,
shelter, and mates.
● Individuals with traits best adapted for the environment
are able to out compete other individuals for resources,
allowing them to survive and reproduce more.
 “Survival of the Fittest”
● Evolutionary fitness isn’t a measure of physical
fitness but of reproductive fitness.
● Fitness- Relative ability to survive and produce
fertile offspring in an environment
 Conditions Needed for Natural
Selection: VISTA
4) Time
● Evolution occurs over generations.
 Conditions Needed for Natural Selection: VISTA
5) Adaptations- an inherited characteristic that
increases an organism’s chance of surviving and
reproducing

Over time, natural selections causes adaptations to

become more common in a population.
 Drug Resistant Bacteria Practice
● Variation existed in a population of bacteria. Some were
resistant to antibiotics, while some weren't.
● The resistance was an inherited trait caused by a gene.
● When treated with antibiotic, the resistant bacteria survived
and reproduced more than the nonresistant ones, which were
killed by the antibiotic.
● Over time, the adaptation of drug resistance became more
common in each generation of bacteria.