Natural Selection and Evolution Concepts

The video explores natural selection, a key mechanism of evolution proposed by Darwin and Wallace. It explains how genetic variation, competition, and adaptation lead to changes in allele frequencies within populations, resulting in microevolution. The video discusses principles like heritable variation and overproduction, and illustrates natural selection with examples, such as mice and Galapagos finches. It also covers selection patterns: stabilizing, directional, and disruptive, and highlights the importance of natural selection in adaptive evolution.

What is the primary factor that leads to competition among offspring in a population?

• Abundance of resources

• Lack of predators

• Overproduction of offspring

• Limited genetic variation

How did Darwin and Wallace describe the process where individuals with advantageous traits reproduce more successfully?

• Genetic drift

• Artificial selection

• Mutation

• Natural selection

In the example of the mice, why did the black mice become more common in the population?

• They reproduced less frequently

• They were more visible to predators

• They had a higher survival rate

• They migrated to a different area

Which of the following is NOT a principle of natural selection?

• Variation in phenotypes

• Heritable traits

• Overproduction of offspring

• Stable environment

What is the end result of adaptive evolution?

• Elimination of all mutations

• A population better suited to its environment

• Increased genetic variation

• Creation of new species

What is an example of a naturally occurring selection pressure?

• Human intervention in breeding

• Competition for resources

• Random genetic mutations

• Stable environmental conditions

Which selection pattern favors the average phenotype and reduces variation?

• Directional selection

• Disruptive selection

• Stabilizing selection

• Artificial selection

What happens in directional selection?

• Both extremes are favored

• The average phenotype is favored

• All phenotypes are equally favored

• One extreme is favored over the other

In disruptive selection, what is the outcome for the population?

• A single peak in phenotype distribution

• Two distinct phenotypes become more common

• No change in phenotype distribution

• A decrease in genetic variation

Which selection pattern could potentially lead to the formation of new species?

• Stabilizing selection

• Directional selection

• Disruptive selection

• Artificial selection