Variation refers to the differences in the characteristics of individuals within a population.
Which two factors contribute to the variation between organisms
1The genes each individualinherits.
2The environments each individual is exposed to
What is natural selection
Natural selection is the idea that in each generation, the individuals with the most favourable characteristics are most likely to survive and reproduce, therefore passing on their genes.
It is the idea that 'nature' is 'selecting' the fittest individuals.
What is evolution
Evolution is the process by which the inherited characteristics of a population change over time due to natural selection.
In some cases this may result in the formation of a new species.
What is speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species.
What is continuous variation
A characteristic that changes gradually over a range of values
what is discontinuous variation
Things like eye colour or blood group, which have a limited number of possible values.
