How does natural selection support the theory of evolution?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

Natural selection is not an evidence of evolution; it is one facet explaining the mechanism of evolution.

Natural selection describes how organisms evolve, as the "weaker" members of a population are removed and the "stronger" ones become more common.

Answer 3

Well, I wouldn't say that natural selection supports the theory of evolution. Instead, I would say that evolution is carried out through natural selection. In fact, sometimes, the two terms can be used interchangeably. Evolution is defined as the gradual change in genetic material that occurs over time in different populations. This gradual change occurs via natural selection. Natural Selection is the tendency of more "fit" individuals to survive in nature. Being able to survive longer than the other members of the species implies that these individuals are more likely to reproduce, and therefore pass on their genes, in particular, the genes that are responsible for them being relatively more fit than the rest of the population. In this way, over time, the genetics of the population is always shifting to reflect the most fit individuals of a population.

Answer 4

Natural selection can be directly observed in wild populations by correllating the distribution of traits in a population against environmental factors, but it can also be observed in more detail, in experimental populations, using genetic assays.