Adaptation and competition Flashcards
What is an adaptation
A certain characteristic or feature that allows an organism to survive in it’s habitat
What is inherited variation
A characteristic that is a result of genetic inheritance from the parents
Name some examples of inherited variation
Eye colour, hair colour, skin colour, lobed or lobeless ears
What can affect the the characteristics of the plant and animal species
Climate, diet, accidents, culture, lifestyle
What is environmental variation
Variation caused by surroundings
What are the main features of Darwin’s theory?
- individuals compete for limited resources
- individuals in a population show natural variation
- individuals with characteristics best suited to their environment are more likely to survive to reproduce
- ‘successful’ characteristics are inherited
- species unable to compete become extinct
What did Darwin’s theory cause
Controversy as it is seen to conflict with religious views about the creation of the world and the creatures in it
What two ideas did Lamark’s theory centre upon
- the law of use and disuse
- the law of inheritance of acquired characteristics
What is Darwin’s theory
Evolution
