To determine if evolution by natural selection is occurring in a cactus population, you would need to observe changes in the heritable traits of the cacti over time, caused by differences in survival and reproduction. This would indicate that certain traits are being favored, leading to a shift in the genetic makeup of the population.
Genotype frequencies stay the same in a population when evolution is not occurring due to genetic equilibrium, which is maintained by factors like random mating, no mutations, no gene flow, a large population size, and no natural selection.
One big Hardy-Weinberg assumption is that there is no mutation taking place in the population of interest. Mutation and selection lead to evolution, which the Hardy-Weinberg assumption also does not allow in a population. So, if there is the variation brought about by mutation then there is a chance of natural selection happening and this violates Hardy-Weinberg assumptions.
Evolution by natural selection.
Evolution by natural selection actually relies on variation within a population. Without variation, there would be no genetic differences for natural selection to act upon, leading to no evolution. Variation provides the raw material for natural selection to work with, allowing beneficial traits to be favored and passed on to future generations.
Scientists can tell if evolution is occurring by observing changes in the genetic composition of a population over time, such as the frequency of certain traits or alleles. They also look for evidence of natural selection, genetic drift, or gene flow influencing the population. Comparing populations over different generations can help determine if evolutionary changes are taking place.
Genotype frequencies stay the same in a population when evolution is not occurring due to genetic equilibrium, which is maintained by factors like random mating, no mutations, no gene flow, a large population size, and no natural selection.
Evolution occurs in all life, all the time.
Natural selection is the process by which certain traits that provide a reproductive advantage become more common in a population over time, leading to evolutionary change. Evolution is the overall change in a population's genetic makeup over successive generations, driven by mechanisms such as natural selection. In essence, natural selection is one of the primary mechanisms through which evolution occurs.
In terms of a population, evolution is just the change of allele frequencies over time. Natural selection can cause certain advantageous alleles to increase in frequency, and detrimental alleles to decrease in frequency.
it relies upon the population
Evolution, of course. Evolution can happen without natural selection in some cases; drift, flow. Generally though, natural selection causes evolution and then, by definition, would come first.
How it can change in response to its enviroment
No, natural selection is believed to result in evolution.
Stabilizing selection occurs when the extreme forms of some trait are selected against by natural selection. It is a force of natural selection which causes evolution (definition: change of allele frequency in a population divided by time).
A. Evolution and natural selection. Charles Darwin is primarily known for his theories on evolution, which explains how species change over time, and natural selection, which is the process by which advantageous traits become more common in a population.
One big Hardy-Weinberg assumption is that there is no mutation taking place in the population of interest. Mutation and selection lead to evolution, which the Hardy-Weinberg assumption also does not allow in a population. So, if there is the variation brought about by mutation then there is a chance of natural selection happening and this violates Hardy-Weinberg assumptions.
Perhaps not, but evolution can exist without natural selection.