evolution

• Theory of Evolution


  All of today's species have evolved from simple life forms that first started to develop over three billion years ago.
• Survival of the fittest (Darwin)


  Process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called natural selection

  Those with more suitable characteristic to their environment (advantageous alleles) will survive to pass on their alleles to their offspring whilst those with negligible characteristic for their environment may die and not pass on their disadvantageous alleles to offspring.
• Discoveries that helped develop theory of natural selection

  - Understanding that phenotypes are controlled by genes and genetic variation is produced by mutations
• The theory of evolution by natural selection states that all species of living things have evolved from simple life forms that first developed more than three billion years ago
• If two populations of one species become so different in phenotype that they can no longer interbreed to produce fertile offspring they have formed two new species.