Evolution

• What is evolution

  The very gradual change in species over a long time
• Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace worked on the theory of evolution by natural selection.
• Natural selection

  1. Mutation - Random changes in genes cause variations in species.
  2. Variation - Small differences within a species make some individuals better adapted to the environment.
  3. Competition - Organisms compete for survival, some may have a gene allowing resistance to a toxin.
  4. Survival of the fittest - Those with advantageous genes have a selective advantage over others. They can compete better for resources, survive a pesticide
  5. Breeding - The organisms that survive can breed, passing on their advantageous genes to the next generation.
• Fossils

  Provide the evidence for evolution. Fossils are the remains of plants or animals that show changes in form/ structure over time. Fossils form when decay has been prevented due to a lack of oxygen or warmth