Can evolution be influenced by the starting population?

Evolution only occurs slowly and gradually. Because evolution is slow, humans cannot influence it. Genetic drift only occurs in small populations.

Which species is more likely to survive changes in the environment?

According to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, organisms that possess heritable traits that enable them to better adapt to their environment compared with other members of their species will be more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass more of their genes on to the next generation.

Does natural selection cause the origin of new species?

Natural selection is the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change. Through this process of natural selection, favorable traits are transmitted through generations. Natural selection can lead to speciation, where one species gives rise to a new and distinctly different species.

Do you believe certain species evolve?

Biologists believe that new species evolve from existing species by a process called natural selection. Organisms that inherit that favorable new gene are likely to become more abundant than others of the species. Sometimes the population of a species becomes separated into two areas, by geography or by climate.

How can evolution cause changes in population?

Evolution is a process that results in changes in the genetic material of a population over time. Evolution reflects the adaptations of organisms to their changing environments and can result in altered genes, novel traits, and new species.

Which of the following can cause evolutionary change within a population?

Five forces can cause genetic variation and evolution in a population: mutations, natural selection, genetic drift, genetic hitchhiking, and gene flow.

What do you think happens when the environment changes too fast for an organism to adapt?

Species become extinct when the environment changes more rapidly than the natural processes that allow them to adapt. Many times in the history of the earth, cataclysmic alterations of either the local or global environments have been too severe for most animals and plants to survive.

What is Darwin theory of natural selection?

More individuals are produced each generation that can survive. Phenotypic variation exists among individuals and the variation is heritable. Those individuals with heritable traits better suited to the environment will survive.

Why do some organisms evolve quickly while others evolve slowly?

Why do some species survive while others go extinct? When conditions change, some species possess adaptations that allow them to survive and reproduce, while others do not. If the environment changes slowly enough, species will sometimes evolve the necessary adaptations, over many generations.

How does the population of a species change over time?

Sometimes the population of a species becomes separated into two areas, by geography or by climate. Then the two groups no longer breed with each other. The two groups then slowly change by natural selection. Each group changes in different ways.

What happens to a species when it becomes extinct?

If the environment changes too fast, the species might not be able to adapt fast enough. Also, a new species might evolve to compete with an existing species. Biologists are sure that once a species becomes extinct it never appears again.

Why do some species become more abundant than others?

Organisms that inherit that favorable new gene are likely to become more abundant than others of the species. Sometimes the population of a species becomes separated into two areas, by geography or by climate. Then the two groups no longer breed with each other. The two groups then slowly change by natural selection.

How do biologists believe that new species evolve from existing species?

Biologists believe that new species evolve from existing species by a process called natural selection. Here’s how it works. Genes are chemical structures in the cells of the organism. The nature of the organism is determined by its genes. The organism inherits the genes from its parents. Occasionally a gene changes accidentally.