Natural Selection

Q: What is natural selection?

Answer:

Natural selection is the process by which certain traits or characteristics become more or less common in a population over time due to their impact on an organism’s survival and reproduction in a particular environment.

Q: Who proposed the concept of natural selection?

Answer:

The concept of natural selection was proposed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in the mid-19th century as a key mechanism driving the evolution of species.

Q: Can natural selection lead to the extinction of species?

Answer:

Yes, natural selection can lead to the extinction of species. If a species fails to adapt to changing environmental conditions or faces intense competition from other species, individuals with less favourable traits may have reduced survival and reproductive success. Over time, this can lead to the decline and eventual extinction of the species.



What is Natural Selection? Evolution with Examples

Natural selection is a fundamental mechanism of evolution that occurs in populations over time. Individuals with certain traits are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass on their genes to future generations, thereby influencing the genetic makeup of the population. This process results in the adaptation of populations to their specific ecological niches and the emergence of new species over a period of time. It is a gradual and ongoing process that has shaped the diversity of life on Earth.

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Natural Selection

The term natural selection was proposed by Charles Darwin. The basic concept of natural selection is as follows: within a population, individuals exhibit variation in their traits, such as their physical characteristics. Some of these traits may be advantageous, making individuals better adapted to their environment and increasing their chances of survival and reproductive success. Other traits may be disadvantageous and reduce an individual’s fitness. Individuals with advantageous traits pass on these traits to their offspring, increasing the frequency of those traits in the population. Over time, the population becomes better adapted to its environment as the advantageous traits become more prevalent. Natural selection is driven by several key factors such as:...

History

Before Charles Darwin, there were some early theories that gave an idea about the concept of natural selection. However, these theories lacked the comprehensive explanation and evidence-based support that Darwin’s theory provided. A few of the theories are explained as follows:...

How does Natural Selection work?

Natural selection is a key factor in evolution and works through various interconnected steps. The steps are :...

Examples of Natural Selection

There are numerous examples of natural selection observed in nature that show how this mechanism shapes the traits and characteristics of different species. Here are a few examples:...

Are we still Evolving?

Evolution is an ongoing process that occurs over long periods of time, and it continues to shape the genetic makeup of populations, including our own. While the timescale of human evolution is much slower compared to other organisms, factors such as natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, and gene flow still influence the genetic diversity and characteristics of human populations....

FAQs on Natural Selection

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