Selection

Question 1

Describe Natural Selection

Answer 1

It’s where individuals that have the best adaptive features are the ones who are more likely to survive and reproduce

Question 2

Explain the concept of ‘Survival of the fittest’

Answer 2

• When organisms reproduce, they produce more offspring than the environment can support
• This leads to competition for food and other resources
• Individuals with characteristics most suited to the environment will survive and reproduce
• The alleles with these features will be passed on to their offspring at a higher rate
• The next generation will have a greater number of individuals with better adapted variations

Question 3

What is the general idea of examples of Natural Selection

Answer 3

Within a species there’s always variation and chance mutations, some individuals will develop a phenotype that gives them a survival advantage, and therefore they will:
- Live longer
- Breed more
- Pass their genes on

Question 4

Explain how evolution occurs

Answer 4

• Individuals that survive and reproduce will have a different/better set of alleles that they’ll pass on to their offspring
• Overtime, negative characteristics are lost as the organism that holds this characteristic dies
• This will bring a change in characteristics of the species aka evolution

EVOLUTION - the change in adaptive features of a population over time as a result of Natural selection

Question 5

Explain the process of Selective breeding/Artificial selection

Answer 5

• Humans select individuals with desirable characteristics and breed them together
• Sometimes the offspring will not obtain the desired characteristics
• So, the process needs to be repeated for many successive generations
• Only then, you’ll be guaranteed with a ‘new breed’

Question 6

Why is it called Artificial selection?

Answer 6

Because it’s controlled by humans