1.

2
Natural Selection
&
Adaptation
 Learning Outcome
1. To describe the concept of natural
selection and evolution
2. To explain the four pre-requisites for
natural selection
3. To distinguish between the types of
natural selection
 NATURAL SELECTION
(Darwin & Wallace, 1853)

= Differential success of
individuals in a population within
a given environment.
 What is Evolution?
Changes in any attribute of a population
over time (not individuals).

Evolutionary changes leads to adaptation

changes in genes/alleles in population
over generations.
Horse - small fox.

Limbs: Long relative to its

body. Adaptations for
running.

Teeth : omnivorous teeth then

it become long and cubical.

Facial: Elongation of the

facial part of the skull.

Neck : Short neck became

longer with equal elongation
of the legs.

Finally, the size of the body

grew as well.
 Artificial Selection
Selective breeding:
= Humans choose certain traits of organisms over
others by implementing breeding programmes.
- Contrast to natural selection.
 Artificial Selection

Modified other species over many

generations by selecting and breeding
individuals that possess desired traits.
Natural Selection Requires Four (4)
Prerequisites

1. Variation
2. Reproductive Fitness
3. Mode of inheritance
4. Competition
1) Variation

Caused by:
i) Mutation : give rise to new variant traits
in populations.

ii) Genetic recombination : during sexual

reproduction

iii) Migration: diverse the original pattern

of the population
Example in Geospiza fortis (finch) at
Galapagos Island.
- Variation in beak size for the finch
Geospiza fortis beak size/bill depth
influences feeding behavior.

Large beaks feed on small

to large seeds
Small beaks limited to
small seeds
 Early 70s : normal weather - population high
food plenty and of various sizes.

1977 : drought seed production declined.

Small seeds declined faster than larger seeds .

Birds with larger beaks survived better than

those with smaller beaks population
declined by 85%
2) Reproductive fitness

= Potential to reproduce and leave

descendents.

- The differences in beak size of the birds translate

to fitness differences.
3) Modes of Inheritance

The mode/method of how

the genes are inherited.
4) Competition
Competition for limited resources among
offsprings.
Only those able to obtain resources will
survive.
The favored traits will be more frequent
in the next generation - allow for
adaptation for those traits.
 Natural Selection and Adaptation as
seen through the eyes of Evolutionary
biologist Ernst Mayr:
dissected the logic of Darwins
theory into three (3) inferences
based on five (5) observations
 Observation 1: (pop. size)
For any species, population sizes would
increase exponentially.
 Observation 2: (pop. size)
Nonetheless, populations tend to be
stable in size.
Observation 3: (resources)

Resources are limited

 Inference 1
Production of more individuals than the
environment can support - struggle for
existence among individuals of a
population - only a fraction of their
offspring surviving.
 Observation 4: (variation)
Members of a population vary extensively
in their characteristics.
 Observation 5: (variation)

Much of this variation is heritable

 Inference 2
Survival depends in part on
inherited traits:
Individuals whose inherited traits give
them a high probability of surviving
and reproducing are likely to leave
more offspring than other individuals.
 Inference 3
This unequal ability of individuals to
survive and reproduce - lead to a
gradual change in a population, with
favorable characteristics accumulating
over generations.
Summary of Natural Selection

Natural selection is differential

success in reproduction.
If an environment changes over
time - Natural selection may
result in adaptation to these new
conditions.
= EVOLUTION
Example of Natural Selection
- Peppered moth
FIGURE 3a
 SELECTION
Three (3) types of Selection can
operate on Phenotypic Characters:
 1) Directional selection
E.g: Galapagos finches during prolonged
drought birds that survived better were those
with large beaks crack large seeds.
Large beaks can eat both small as well as large
seeds while small beaks only can eat small seeds
Population mean shifts

Resistance of pests to insecticides or herbicides is

produced by directional selection
 2) Stabilizing selection
Phenotypes near the mean of population
are fitter or favored rather than those at
either extreme pop mean does not
change.

Birth weights in humans early mortality

is lowest in babies slightly above mean
weight but high mortality in small babies
and also large babies. Population favor
baby weight near the mean.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 6
 3) Disruptive Selection
When natural selection favors the
extremes over the mean.

isolating mechanisms are important for

this type of selection.

One example sexual dimorphism colour

males more colorful than females in
birds
 Female (left) and male pheasant.
 Original population

Original Evolved Phenotypes (fur color)

population population

(a) Directional selection shifts the
overall makeup of the population by
favoring variants at one extreme of
the distribution.
- In this case, darker mice are
favored because they live among
dark rocks and a darker fur color
conceals them from predators.
(b) Disruptive selection favors variants
at both ends of the distribution.
- These mice have colonized a patchy habitat
made up of light and dark rocks, with the
result that mice of an intermediate color are
at a disadvantage.
(c) Stabilizing selection removes
extreme variants from the population
and preserves intermediate types. If
the environment consists of rocks of
an intermediate color, both light and
dark mice will be selected against.
1) Directional selection
Favors individuals at one end of the phenotypic
range
2) Disruptive selection
Favors individuals at both extremes of the
phenotypic range
3) Stabilizing selection
Favors intermediate variants and acts against
extreme phenotypes
The result of SELECTION is that
organisms are adapted to their
environment