Organisms with advantageous inheritable traits tend to increase in proportion to those without the trait.
Determine patterns of change in distribution of traits over various times and population scales.
Explain that natural selection causes increases and decreases in heritable traits if it affects reproductive success
Explain the changes in advantageous heritable traits.
Individuals can have traits that give them a competitive edge over other individuals in the species.
Use resources that explain that natural selection leads to adaptations of populations.
Use reasoning and evidence that organisms can adapt to biotic and abiotic factors in their environment.
Distinguish between cause and correlation in an explanation of how natural selection allows species to adapt to changes in their environment.
Natural selection is a key mechanism in evolutionary processes, driving changes in the distribution of traits within populations over time. Organisms with advantageous inheritable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on their genes to the next generation. This leads to an increase in the frequency of these advantageous traits within the population.
The patterns of change in the distribution of traits can vary depending on the timescale and the size of the population. In the short term, small populations may experience fluctuations in trait frequencies due to random events (genetic drift), while larger populations tend to more reliably follow the predictions of natural selection over time.
Natural selection can lead to increases or decreases in heritable traits if those traits affect an individual's reproductive success. Traits that enhance an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a given environment are more likely to be passed on to future generations. This process can result in the gradual accumulation of adaptations within populations, as individuals with advantageous traits outcompete those without them.
Individuals with traits that give them a competitive edge over others in the species are more likely to survive and reproduce, leading to the spread of these traits within the population. This can result in the evolution of new traits or the refinement of existing traits over time.
Through natural selection, populations can adapt to biotic and abiotic factors in their environment. The process of adaptation involves the evolution of traits that increase an organism's fitness in a particular environment. Over generations, species can undergo changes that allow them to better survive and reproduce in their specific ecological niche.
It is important to distinguish between cause and correlation when explaining how natural selection allows species to adapt to changes in their environment. While certain traits may be associated with survival and reproductive success, it is the process of natural selection acting on heritable variation that leads to the adaptation of populations to their environments. By carefully examining the evidence and reasoning behind these changes, we can better understand the mechanisms driving evolutionary processes.