Evolution by Natrual Selection

Cards (8)

  • Evolution
    The change in the inherited characteristics of a population over time through a process of natural selection
  • Natural selection
    1. Genetic variation within a population
    2. Differential survival and reproduction
    3. Passing on of beneficial traits to offspring
    4. Change in population over generations
  • The Earth is teeming with living organisms, including large animals, small animals, and plants
  • Only about 1% of the total species that have ever lived on Earth are still alive today, the rest are extinct
  • Life first developed on Earth more than 3 billion years ago, starting with simple single-celled organisms
  • All species of living things have evolved from these simple life forms
  • Genetic variation within a population
    • Rabbits have different alleles for traits like fur thickness, eyesight, and hearing
  • Environment gets colder
    Rabbits with thicker fur alleles are more likely to survive