Evidence of Evolution =EOE

• Evolution is the change of inherited characteristics within a population over time through natural selection
• Evolution may result in the formation of a new species
• Extinction occurs when there are no remaining individuals of a species alive
• Animals that have not adapted well to their environment are less likely to survive and reproduce
• Factors that can cause a species to become extinct include:

  • New diseases
  • New predators
  • Close predators
  • New, more successful competitors
  • Changes to the environment over geological time, such as climate change
  • A single catastrophic event, such as a massive volcanic eruption or a collision between an asteroid and the Earth
• Extinction has a role in evolution as some species disappear while others survive and continue to evolve
• Extinction can also happen due to human activities
• The dodo bird became extinct following the introduction of new predators by people
• Dodos were hunted for food when Mauritius was colonised by the Dutch in 1638
• New competitors brought onto the island, including pigs, cats, and rats, ate the dodos' eggs and young
• Within 80 years of human colonization, the dodo bird was extinct