ADAPTATION Flashcards
A species is a
group of organisms that freely interbreed to produce fertile offspring
Mutations are
random, spontaneous changes in genetic material and the only source of new alleles.
Rates of mutation can be increased by environmental factors such as
certain types of radiation and chemicals
Mutations can be neutral and have
little effect on the organism with the mutation
Mutations can be harmful if they give the organism
a disadvantage and so decrease its chances of survival
Mutations can be beneficial if they give the organism an
advantage and so increase its chances of survival
Living organisms can evolve and adapt to
changing environmental conditions
Variation exists within
populations of living organisms
Living organisms often produce more
offspring than the environment can support
Natural selection acts on variation in populations in such a way that only those with the best
adaptions survive to reproduce
An adaptation is
a feature of an organism that helps it survive
The intensity of a selective factor such as predation is called
selection predation
The best adapted organisms with favourable characteristics have a
selective advantage
Individuals with a selective advantage survive to pass on their
beneficial characteristics to offspring
Speciation is the
evolution of two or more species from one original ancestor species
