Natural selection is an important component of evolution. Natural selection occurs when some members of a population are better fit for survival and reproduction than the others in that population (Phelan 284-85, 2011). The environment in which organisms live plays a part in natural selection as well. Depending on the conditions of the environment, the organisms may pass down selected traits to their offspring. These selected traits will allow for the next generation to better adapt and survive longer. One example of evolution that has occurred in the past ten years is that of hypolimnas bolina, or the blue moon butterfly. The blue moon butterfly evolved through the process of natural selection in order to survive. The male blue moon butterfly was facing extinction due to the parasitic bacteria, wolbachia. The bacteria were being passed down from the mother and were killing off male offspring before they were hatched (Sherriff 2007). Fortunately, the male population has increased significantly due to natural selection. Through heritability, a gene has successfully been passed down through the next ten generations of blue moon butterflies. This gene has been referred to as the “savior” gene. This gene allows infected female butterflies to produce male butterflies that are not affected by the previously fatal bacteria (Sherriff 2007). These newly adapted butterflies have a better fitness, or chance of survival, than those who were infected and did not inherit the “savior” gene. In the case of these butterflies, evolution occurred rather quickly and saved the population from extinction. Some believe that this gene could have resulted from a random mutation. Others believe that a migrating butterfly may have carried the gene to this c...
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... Freeman, 2011. 284-85. Print.
Phelan, Jay. "Chapter 8 Evolution and Natural Selection/ Section 8.10: When Three Simple Conditions Are Satisfied, Evolution by Natural Selection Is Occurring." What Is Life?: a Guide to Biology with Physiology. New York: W.H. Freeman, 2011. 301-03. Print.
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Biological evolution is a change in the characteristics of living organisms over generations (Scott, 2017). A basic mechanism of evolution, the genetic drift, and mutation is natural selection. According to Darwin's theory of evolution, natural selection is a process in nature in which only the organisms best adapted to their environmental surroundings have a higher chance of surviving and transmitting their genetic characters in increasing numbers to succeeding generations while those less adapted tend to be eliminated. There has been many experimental research projects that relate to the topic of natural selection and evolution.
Darwin describes natural selection as “a description of what happens when variations occur in a population where resources are limited. The individual animal or plant that has certain change in its genetic make-up will survive natural (4)” For example, in a population where more individuals are born into a harsh environment that can’t sustain them all, those individuals that have expedient variations within their DNA will have a higher chance of surviving. This is called natural selection. When
In 1859, a biologist named Charles Darwin postulated a scientific theory, which stated that all living organisms evolved through a process of natural selection. According to Stephen Hawking, Charles Darwin claimed that the offspring of a particular species gradually evolved themselves genetically to resist the changes in the environment (573). The theory contended that the organisms could adapt to the changes in the environment through the survival of the fittest. Though this theory is regarded as a breakthrough in the field of biological evolution, it is interesting to explore how this seemingly scientific theory has been suitably modified, and intellectually applied to both negative and positive aspects of life.
“I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.” - Charles Darwin.
Charles Darwin was a man who shaped the way in which we think about evolution in modern times. He brought forth and described the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest. To fully understand modern evolutionary thoughts it is necessary for one to completely understand the early theories of Charles Darwin. In this paper I will provide the reader with a complete background on Charles Darwin, describe his voyage on the HMS Beagle, and discuss his theory of natural selection.
Natural selection was one of the most important discoveries in the Nineteenth century, and it has changed peoples’ position ever since. Natural selection also provides people a new chance to find truth in the world. Even though it has been demonstrated for over one hundred years, we can still try to find new information from it. Today, natural selection is a very important subject that a lot of scientists try to use to explain different kinds of evolutionary questions.
Evolution is something that is talked about frequently throughout people’s education, it is probably first brought to people’s attention in middle school more than likely. “The science of biology is very broad in scope because there is a tremendous diversity of life on earth… the source of diversity is evolution, the process of gradual change during which new species arise from older species” (OpenStax). According to OpenStax, “the term for where new species arise from older species is adaptation.” Which makes sense because, people always hear the most fittest are the ones to survive while the weak die. This where the term natural selection comes into place, according to The Recluant Biologist, “not all members are the same – within any population there is a variation in the physical characteristics of the individuals… Darwin reasoned that if some of these variants provide the individual with a slight edge over their competitors in the
Charles Darwin has had the greatest influence on the world by proving the evolution of living things. Charles Darwin had first noticed the similarities of plants and animals when he took a five-year cruise on the H.M.S. Beagle, which was available to him through a friend from school. During the cruise Charles Darwin started becoming interested with the similarities between the plants and animals that were similar on different islands with similar climates, so he decided to study them more closely.
In 1859, Charles Darwin set out his exploration of the evolution by natural selection as an explanation for adaptation and speciation 1859. Darwin characterized natural selection as the rule by which each variety of a trait, if valuable, is safeguarded. Another researcher, Alfred Russell Wallace, came to a similar conclusion, but because Darwin was well-known and respected researcher even before he composed On the Origin of Species, Wallace was obscure and unknown, so individuals were more likely to listen to Darwin. Darwin's theory comprised of two key emphases which were varied gatherings of creatures advance from one or a couple of basic predecessors of adaptation. And the component by which this development happens is natural selection.
The clash of creationism and evolution has begun once again. On one side sits the Christians and believers of the Holy Bible as a literal piece of history; on the other side sits scientists who dismantle any belief in any sort of God. The...
Zacherl, Danielle. “Biology 171 Evolution and Biodiversity.” National Association of Research in Science Teaching 2007 Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA. (2007):n. page. Print.
Extinction, although not as pleasant a concept as the idea of adapting to ones surroundings, plays just as large a role in natural selection as anything else. As one adaptation of a species proves beneficial, and as that variation begins to propagate, the original, less advantageous variant will die off. It is the unchanged species that are in immediate conflict with the species undergoing the natural adaptation that stand to suffer...
Individuals with the most advantageous traits are most likely to survive and reproduce.” Microevolution is the evolution of individual populations overtime and macroevolution is the evolution of all populations of earth or multiple populations. An example of this rule is from the class lesson about speciation. Some types we learned about were mechanical isolation and behavioral isolation. Mechanical isolation is caused due to reproductive organ compatibility and behavioral isolation is due to mating preferences. An example of mechanical isolation is Damsel fly penises. Damsel flies don’t all that the same DNA causing their reproductive organisms to come in different shapes and sizes meaning that not all Damsel flie have organs compatible for females they need to mate with. An example of behavioral isolation is the brightness of fireflies. Female fireflies loves bright lights causing the males with less bright lights to not get picked to reproduce. These examples show that natural selection causes evolution because overtime, traits become more
Evolution is defined as the change of hereditary characteristics of populations over generations (Caroll, 2009). The environment is continually changing therefore organisms have to change in order to stand the changes in environment so they can survive and reproduce (Caroll, 2009). Regular change in genetic material of organisms over generations can lead to the development of new species that are more adapted to the environment (Caroll, 2009). It is said that failure to evolve may lead to extinction of a species (Caroll, 2009).