4 How are evolution and reproduction related?

Answer 1

Spontanous genetic mutations occur, some are helpful and the animal and it's offspring survive, and some are harmful and they don't. That is how genetic variations are selected (ie evolution).

Those variations are useful or not useful based on whether they increase or decrease an organism's chance of survival or reproduction.

Answer 2

Evolution can most simply be difined as change in a species over time. Reproduction serves as the [i]mechanism[/i] for change. For example, in a population of, lets say mice, each individual is different. Because of these differences, some of the mice may be faster and others slower, some bigger and some smaller, some darker and some lighter, etc. Now take one of these traits, say speed. Because the slower mice are easier for prey to catch, most likely, the majority of these slow mice will not live until maturity, or if they do, they will have fewer litters than faster mice. Because of this, the average speed of the population as a whole will be faster than in the previous generation (those who were "unfit" died first). If the same trend continues, over time a new subspecies will emerge. Over even more time, a new species emerges. To be evolutionarily successful on an individual level, one must reproduce a. survive to reproduce, b. "win" access to a female to mate with.

Answer 3

Sexual reproduction causes variation in a population, a fact that was key to Darwin's theory of evolution.