Evolution Flashcards
How does the idea of natural selection work?
Individuals within a species show variation because of the differences in their genes. Individuals with characteristics that make them better adapted to the environment have a better chance of survival and so are more likely to breed successfully. The genes that are responsible for the useful characteristics that are more likely to be passed on to the next generation.
Why can evolution occur due to mutations?
Most of the time mutations have no effect but occasionally they can be beneficial by producing a useful characteristic. This characteristic may give the organism a better chance of surviving and reproducing. Overtime the useful mutation will accumulate within a population.
Why didn’t everyone agree with Darwin?
1) It went against common religious beliefs about how life on Earth developed- it was the first plausible explanation for our own existence without the need for a ‘creator’.
2) Darwin couldn’t give a good explanation for why these new useful characteristics appeared or exactly how individual organisms passed on their beneficial characteristics to their offspring.
3) There wasn’t enough evidence to convince many scientists.
What did Lamarck think?
Lamarck thought that if a characteristic was used a lot by an organism then it would become more developed in its lifetime. Lamarck believed that these acquired characteristics would be passed on to the next generation.
