Jarod Raithel Mary Carroll High School Honors Biology I Spring 2007
Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
1) VARIATION: There is variation in the traits of individuals within a population
Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
1) Variations are inherited traits
Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
1) Ex: Color, beak shape
Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
2) FAVORABLE TRAITS/ADAPTATIONS- Some individuals survive and reproduce, some dont
Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
2. Competition for resources (food, shelter, space)
Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
2) Survival of the fittest- the ones better
adapted will survive
Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
3. REPRODUCTION- the ones that survive will reproduce with a mate
Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
3) REPRODUCTION-Traits are inherited
from parents
4. FAVORABLE TRAITS ARE
PASSED ON Favorable (good) traits are selected by nature and passed from parents to offspring.
4. The good traits will spread to
the population over time (evolution)
Examples of Natural Selection:
The Evolution of The Polar Bear Our story begins with the Polar Bears closest living relative the Brown Bear
The Evolution of The Polar Bear
Around 300,000 years ago a small group of Brown Bears became reproductively isolated from the rest of the population
The Evolution of The Polar Bear
This small founding population of Brown Bears were able to survive and reproduce living in the Arctic Tundra. After MANY generations, a random genetic mutation occurred ...
The Evolution of The Polar Bear
Because of the genetic mutation, a litter of Brown Bears exhibited WHITE coloration
The Evolution of The Polar Bear
How do you think the white fur color affected these bears chances of surviving long enough to have cubs of their own?
REMEMBER: Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
1) There is variation in the traits of
individuals within a population
REMEMBER: Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
2) There is differential survival and
reproduction, i.e., some individuals
survive and reproduce, some dont
REMEMBER: Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
2) There is differential survival and
reproduction, i.e., some individuals
survive and reproduce, some dont
X X
X X
REMEMBER: Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
3) Traits have a genetic basis, or are
inherited from parents
REMEMBER: Natural Selection Rests on 4 Premises:
4) Advantageous traits, which allows
organisms to have more offspring, will
become more common in the population over time.
X X
X X
X X X
X X X X
X X X X X
X X
X X
X X
X X
What Happened?
Through Reproductive Isolation and
Natural Selection . . . One Species Evolved Into Another New Species By Adapting To Its New Environment
We see this trend again and again in the
Animal Kingdom . . . Speciation by means of Reproductive Isolation & Natural Selection!