Natural Selection Flashcards
Memorize terms (15 cards)
What drives the evolution of populations?
Natural selection
Natural selection acts on populations, not individuals.
Natural selection acts on which traits of organisms?
Phenotypes
Phenotypes are the observable traits of organisms.
What is the relationship between traits and the environment according to natural selection?
Traits change as the environment changes
What is meant by variation in a population?
Individuals have heritable differences in traits
What does overproduction refer to in the context of natural selection?
More offspring are produced than the environment can support
What is the consequence of overproduction in a population?
Competition
Competition arises due to limited resources.
What is adaptation in terms of natural selection?
Some traits give individuals a survival or reproductive advantage
Define differential survival and reproduction.
Individuals with beneficial traits are more likely to survive and pass on those traits
What does fitness describe in an ecological context?
An organism’s ability to survive and reproduce more than others
What happens to advantageous traits over time within a population?
They become more common
What is genetic drift?
A change in allele frequencies due to random sampling, often in shrinking populations
Define non-random mating.
Mating that occurs based on specific traits rather than random choice
What is gene mutation?
A change in the DNA sequence that can lead to new traits
What does gene flow refer to?
Movement of alleles between populations
List the modes of evolution.
- Genetic Drift
- Non Random Mating
- Gene Mutation
- Gene Flow
- Natural Selection
