Discuss the ways populations evolve
All life on Earth is related. Evolutionary theory states that humans, beetles, plants, and bacteria all share a common ancestor, but that millions of years of evolution have shaped each of these organisms into the forms seen today. Scientists consider evolution a key concept to understanding life. Natural selection is one of the most dominant evolutionary forces. Natural selection acts to promote traits and behaviors that increase an organism’s chances of survival and reproduction, while eliminating those traits and behaviors that are to the organism’s detriment. But natural selection can only, as its name implies, select—it cannot create. The introduction of novel traits and behaviors falls on the shoulders of another evolutionary force—mutation. Mutation and other sources of variation among individuals, as well as the evolutionary forces that act upon them, alter populations and species. This combination of processes has led to the world of life we see today.
What You’ll Learn to Do
- Describe how population genetics is used in the study of the evolution of populations
- Define the Hardy-Weinberg principle and discuss its importance
- Describe the different types of variation in a population
- Explain the different ways natural selection can shape populations
Learning Activities
The learning activities for this section include the following:
- Population Genetics
- Hardy-Weinberg Principle of Equilibrium
- Genetic Variation and Drift
- Adaptive Evolution
- Self Check: The Evolution of Populations
Contributors and Attributions
CC licensed content, Original
- Introduction to the Evolution of Populations. Authored by: Shelli Carter and Lumen Learning. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
CC licensed content, Shared previously
