Natural Selection: Evolution
Natural Selection: Evolution
To give life is simple. It is what makes up that life that is a very complex puzzle. In order for the human population to continue to evolve, it is imperative that individuals understand the mechanisms that make-up evolution so we don’t become extinct. The following paper will go in depth to describe: genetic variation, biodiversity, natural selection, and the roles they play in evolution.
The first mechanism that is to be covered is the mechanism that causes the fluctuation of traits over time in a population is differential reproduction. Individuals surviving better than others in a given area describe natural selection. Differential reproduction takes this further by proposing that those individuals within a population that are most adapted to the environment are also the most likely individuals to reproduce successfully. The reproductive processes then tend to strengthen the frequency of certain traits across the population. Differential reproduction increases the number of alleles for intended traits in the gene pool. The trend will be established and strengthen gradually over time, eventually creating a population where the intended trait is dominant, if environmental conditions remain the same.
Another mechanism of genetic change is mutation. Mutation is a change of the DNA sequence of a gene, resulting in a change of the trait. Although a mutation can cause change in the genotype and possibly phenotype of the offspring, mutations do not necessarily produce a trait intended for a particular environment (Callihan, 2005). Mutation is a much more random occurrence than differential reproduction. Although mutations can occur, the change in the gene pool is minimal, so change in the population occurs very slowly. Mutation provides a method of introducing new genetic possibilities, genetic traits, which did not exist in the original gene pool.
A third mechanism recognized to...