Natural Selection

Natural Selection

Through a process known as natural selection, adaptations that allow one organism to survive better than another and produce more off-spring, results in future generations of organisms who have acquired those traits. For Grade 10, you are required to understand the following key features of evolution by natural selection:

• Individuals in a species show a wide range of variation: .e.g. the many different types of dogs you see.
• The variation is caused by genetic differences.
• Individuals that are well-adapted to the environment in which they live are more likely to survive and produce more offspring.
• The genes that allowed the individuals to be successful are passed on to the offspring in the next generation.
• Over many hundreds (and thousands) of generations this results in changes in the physical appearance and habits of organisms.