Genetic variation in itself does not 'support' natural selection: it is what natural selection acts upon.
The four steps of natural selection are- Overproduction- Variation- inherited Variations- Natural Selection
Natural selection acts upon the individual organism, whilst evolution occurs at the population level. The environment selects for organisms best adapted for highest survival and reproductive success. Natural selection requires three key things - variation, inheritable traits, and differential survival/reproduction. Species will produce more offspring than the environment can support(carrying capacity), and the population tends to be fairly stable until resources are limited. A struggle for existence is created, and natural selection ensures that weaker traits die out while stronger traits live on. Organisms show variation in characteristics, and that variation is heritable. Survival depends on inherited traits, and unequal survival/reproduction leads to adaptation and evolution. Therefore, while the individual organism can adapt, the population is what actually evolves.
The growth or shrinkage of populations has nothing to do with natural selection, but with the availability of resources, and the ability of organisms to utilize those resources. This is also known as 'carrying capacity'. The natural tendency is for organisms to produce more offspring than the environment can support. So if the environment supports more individuals, then the population will automatically grow. If conditions change and the environment supports less individuals, then some individuals will starve or be otherwise unable to reproduce. Natural selection, in this case, "determines" which individuals pass, and which do not.
Simple observation. Look at the many species that have evolved to specialize to a specific environment. Let's say you have daisies growing in your yard. They will have some natural differences in them. Some may be taller than others. You mow your yard on a regular basis. Many of the taller ones can't survive long enough to go to seed. More of the naturally short ones survive to "mate" with other short ones and soon enough their genes come to dominate in that environment. Eventually you wind up with a species of short-stemmed daisies. However, that fact that this is an observable truth does not prove the idea that one species evolved from another (the theory of evolution). While it suggests that this is possible, there is a woeful lack of evidence to prove it. Even Darwin knew this and wrote about it. Those short daisies are still daisies.
Cystic fibrosis and other autosomal recessive diseases are not commonly put forward as strong evidential support for the theory of evolution, but being recessive, there is little negative selection pressure to remove the implicated mutations from the gene pool. Another factor to consider is that there are some indications of heterozygous advantage in the form of resistance to cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, and tuberculosis.
yes
Charles Darwin, the creator of the theory of natural selection, was born 1809.
The four steps of natural selection are- Overproduction- Variation- inherited Variations- Natural Selection
Individuals with a particular trait may increase in a population through natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, and mutations. Natural selection favors individuals with advantageous traits, genetic drift leads to random changes in allele frequencies, gene flow introduces new alleles into the population, and mutations create new genetic variation.
As we currently understand it, evolution happens if: - There are populations of organisms reproducing with variation - Those variations are inherited by offspring - More offspring is produced than can comfortably subsist in the habitat - Offspring therefore compete with one another for resources and mating opportunities - Variant inherited traits affect their ability to compete.
Because there is a large body of evidence to support it.
Life has a great potential for creating diversity.
It is not a matter of agreement, it is a matter of accepting the overwhelming evidences in support of the theory of evolution by natural selection.
The branches of genetics, paleontology, observed natural selection and speciation all support evolution. Examples: (Genetics) Human chromosome 2 resulted from a fusion of two ancestral chromosomes. (Paleontology) Evolution of the horse. (Natural selection) Observed in Peppered moths. (Speciation) The Hawthorn Fly
I do not so much " believe it " as I an convinced by the myriad lines of converging evidences that support the theory of evolution by natural selection. talkorigins.org
Prove is a term used in math. Comparative biochemistry supports with many lines of converging evidence the theory of evolution by natural selection. For a brief example consider cytochrome C, the electron shuttle that shuttles electrons between the I and II complex of the electron transport chain. This biochemical process is highly conserved in many types of organisms, being remarkably the same process from organism to organism, but showing the expected slight genetic variation that can be tracked down the taxa to support the common ancestry of evolution.
Natural selection acts upon the individual organism, whilst evolution occurs at the population level. The environment selects for organisms best adapted for highest survival and reproductive success. Natural selection requires three key things - variation, inheritable traits, and differential survival/reproduction. Species will produce more offspring than the environment can support(carrying capacity), and the population tends to be fairly stable until resources are limited. A struggle for existence is created, and natural selection ensures that weaker traits die out while stronger traits live on. Organisms show variation in characteristics, and that variation is heritable. Survival depends on inherited traits, and unequal survival/reproduction leads to adaptation and evolution. Therefore, while the individual organism can adapt, the population is what actually evolves.