Darwin, Natural Selection, and Evolution

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What is Natural Selection?

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Natural selection is the process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. It is a key mechanism of evolution.

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Who proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection?

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Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection.

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What is an acquired trait?

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An acquired trait is a characteristic that an organism develops during its lifetime, which is not inherited genetically.

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What is a vestigial structure?

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A vestigial structure is a body part that has lost its original function through the course of evolution, such as the human appendix.

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What is artificial selection?

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Artificial selection is the intentional breeding of organisms by humans for specific traits, such as breeding plants for larger fruit.

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What is a homologous structure?

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Homologous structures are body parts in different species that share a common ancestry, even if they have different functions, like the forelimbs of humans and whales.

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What is an analogous structure?

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Analogous structures are body parts in different species that have similar functions but do not share a common ancestry, like the wings of birds and insects.

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What evidence supports the theory of evolution?

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Evidence for evolution includes fossil records, comparative anatomy, embryology, and molecular biology (DNA comparisons).

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What is the difference between natural selection and artificial selection?

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Natural selection occurs naturally based on environmental pressures, while artificial selection is driven by human choice.

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What role do mutations play in evolution?

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Mutations are changes in DNA that can lead to new traits; they are a source of genetic variation that can be acted upon by natural selection.