Adaptations are the characteristics of individual organisms--a reflection of the

Question

Adaptations are the characteristics of individual organisms--a reflection of the interaction of the genes and the environment. They are the product of natural selection. Although the process of natural selection is driven by the success or failure of individuals, the population--the collective of individuals and their alleles--changes through time, as individuals either succeed or fail to pass their genes to successive populations. Is there a good example to explain this concept? I need help understanding.

Note: -Please do not copy and past -Do not upload unreadiable images -provide references as needed -thank you

Explanation / Answer

The mechanism that Darwin proposed for evolution is natural selection. Natural selection causes populations to become adapted, or increasingly well-suited, to their environments over time. Natural selection depends on the environment and requires existing heritable variation in a group.

In a population, some individuals inherit traits that help them survive and reproduce (given the conditions of the environment, such as the predators and food sources present). The individuals with the helpful traits will leave more offspring in the next generation than their peers, since the traits make them more effective at surviving and reproducing. Because the helpful traits are heritable, and because organisms with these traits leave more offspring, the traits will tend to become more common (present in a larger fraction of the population) in the next generation. In the same way, sometimes, some genes are unable to pass to the next generation. The individuals with this lack of traits will leave less offspring in the next generation than their peers, since the traits make them less effective at surviving and reproducing. Natural selection is a process which allows organisms that are best adapted to an environment to survive and reproduce more than others. Individuals with bad traits that are not well suited to their environment either die without leaving offspring or leave few offspring. Their number decreases in the next generation and ultimately causes extinction of a particular organism. Extinctions of species have occurred gradually and continuously throughout the history of life. The extinction of species (and larger groups) is closely tied to the process of natural selection and is thus a major component of progressive evolution. Example: extinction of animals due to huge body size traits.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.