4.1.2 Mechanisms of natural selection (a driving force to speciation)
Speciation according to Darwin and Wallace… Can you identify the four main ideas of natural selection?
- there is an overproduction of offspring generating a competition for resources
- there is variation within populations allowing some offspring to have a slight advantage over others
- individuals which possess characteristics that are poorly adapted for their environment tend to be less successful at surviving and therefore at finding a mate
- individuals which possess characteristics that are well adapted for their environment tend to be more successful at surviving, finding a mate and passing on their genetic characteristics to the next generation
- after many generations, slight changes can accumulate to a point where the current generation is very different from its ancestors.
How can the distribution of traits in a species change over time?
THINKING: How is artificial selection different to natural selection?