In your own words, provide the essential points of Charles
Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection (descent with
modification).
Darwin’s Theory of EvolutionDescent With Modification
• Fertility is so high that populations would increase exponentially if all offspring survived
• Most species have stable numbers
• Natural resources are finite / limited
• Therefore, there is a struggle for existence, and only a fraction of offspring survive.
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
• More offspring are produced than can be supported by the environment (struggle for existence)
• All individuals vary• Some of the variation is inherited by the offspring
(offspring resemble parents)• In the struggle for existence, favored variants are more
likely to survive & reproduce (survival of the fittest)• Therefore, populations change over time as favored
variants become are preserved and become more common (descent with modification)
• Individuals in a population differ; no two are exactly alike
• Much of the variation is heritable
• Survival in the struggle for existence is not random, but tends toward those that have inherited favorable variations
• Therefore, the unequal ability of individuals to survive and reproduce leads to gradual change in a population, with favorable characteristics increasing in frequency
Darwin’s Theory of EvolutionDescent With Modification
Top Related