Darwin & Natural Selection

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 Learning Goals
1. Define "Evolution" & "Natural Selection".
2. Describe the 4 steps of Natural Selection,
giving an example of each.
3. Explain the importance of "Variation".
4. Does Natural Selection act on an organism
phenotype or genotype? Explain!
5. List the 5 evidences that support the Theory
of Evolution.
Theory of Evolution
Evolution: The process of change over
time
Specifically, a change in the frequency of a
gene or allele in a population over time
Charles Darwin
Father of Evolution
Proposed a mechanism for
evolution, natural selection
Darwin went on a 5-year trip
around the world on the ship,
the HMS Beagle
As the ship’s naturalist, he made
observations of organisms in
South America and the
Galapagos Islands

•Wrote a book, “Origin of the Species”

Darwin’s Finches
Natural Selection
Natural Selection: Organisms that are best
adapted to an environment survive and
reproduce more than others
Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection
occurs in four steps:
Overproduction
Variation
Competition
Selection
1. Overproduction
Each species produces more offspring
that can survive
 2. Variation
Each individual has a
unique combination of
inherited traits.
Adaptation: an inherited
trait that increases an
organism’s chances of
survival
What adaptations do
you see?http://www.eveboo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/snow-wolf-wallpaper.jpg
What adaptations do
you see?

http://i.imgur.com/HZTh8ZG.jpg
Why is Variation Important?
Because the environment changes.
The more variation within a species, the
more likely it will survive
EX: If everyone is the same, they are all
vulnerable to the same environmental
changes or diseases
The more variation of types of species in
an habitat, the more likely at least some
will survive
EX: Dinosaurs replaced by mammals
 3. Competition
Individuals COMPETE for limited
resources:
Food, water, space, mates
Natural selection occurs through
“Survival of the fittest”
Fitness: the ability to survive and reproduce
Not all individuals survive to adulthood
4. Selection

The individuals with the best traits /

adaptations will survive and have the
opportunity to pass on it’s traits to
offspring.
Natural selection acts on the phenotype
(physical appearance), not the genotype
(genetic makeup)
Ex: When a predator finds its prey, it is due
to the prey’s physical characteristics, like
color or slow speed, not the alleles (BB, Bb)
Individuals with traits that are not well
suited to their environment either die
or leave few offspring.
Evolution occurs when good traits
build up in a population over many
generations and bad traits are
eliminated by the death of the
individuals.
 Peppered Moth A

Which moth will the bird catch?

B
Descent with Modification
Descent with Modification – each living
species has descended, with changes,
from other species over time.

Common Descent – all living

organisms are related to one another
Evidence for Evolution:
Fossil Record
Homologous Body Structures
Vestigial Organs
Embryology
Biochemical Evidence
The Fossil Record
Fossils: a record of the history of life
on Earth
Archaeopteryx
Missing link between
reptiles and birds
Homologous Body Structures
Homologous Body
Structures: similar
anatomy in
different types of
animals because of
common ancestor
Vestigial Organs
Vestigial Organs: “leftover” traces of evolution
that serve no purpose
Embryology
Embryology: embryos of all
vertebrates are very similar early on
Biochemical Evidence
Biochemistry: DNA with more similar
sequences suggest species are more
closely related
EX: Humans and chimpanzees share more
than 98% of identical DNA sequences
Coral Snake Milk Snake
(Poisonous) (Not
poisonous)
Stick Mantid
Flower Mantid